Class
by Samolly
Summary: AU –American girl Buffy discovers her English roots. Starts out with Joyce and Giles, has a touch of Bangel, ends up Spuffy! Deals with issues of Rape. BS, BA, JG
1. Joyce and Rupert

Chapter 1 – Joyce and Rupert

_AU – Will be Spuffy eventually!  We have to work through some back-story first. _

_These characters do not belong to me – they are the property of Mutant Enemy and Joss!_

Summer, 1981

Joyce Summers was enjoying her time at Oxford.  It was good to get away from Berkley, and her father Hank.  She was studying art and forgetting about all her troubles in America.  Ever since her mother died when she was 14, her relationship with her father, Hank Summers had severely deteriorated to the point she could barely stand to be in the same room with him.  She supposed she should feel fortunate that despite their issues, he was still paying her tuition.  But she also supposed it was easier to send her to England than to deal with her back in the states.  She missed her boyfriend Ted, but deep down she knew she only dated Ted because her father hated him.  Ted was the son of Holland Manners, a partner at a rival law firm of her fathers.  Her father wanted her to become a lawyer, but she was never interested in the law.  Her true love was art.  She didn't have much artistic talent herself, but she has a good eye for art, and loved to study Art History.  She spent hours wondering around the galleries of London and Paris.  She hoped one day to work in a museum, or run a gallery.  

Joyce had been at Oxford for 2 months when she met Rupert Giles.  He was a graduate student studying Ancient History.  They met at a showing of ancient African artifacts.

"The Americans are simply ruining the chance for any British museums to acquire artifacts." Rupert Giles said to his friend, Ethan Rayne.

"Oh, I agree.  These days, if it's not shown in America, it's of no importance at all." Ethan replied.

Joyce was standing slightly behind them, appalled at what she was hearing.

"Excuse me, but I couldn't help but hear what you were saying.  That is simply not true!  The U.S. may have acquired many of the artifacts recently found, but look how many historic treasures and works of arts are held but museums and London and Paris!  You don't seem to feel bad about the inequity in that!" Joyce huffed.

"An American, I see" Ethan snorted.

"Yes, I am an American"

"Well little girl, maybe you should do some more research on your countries means and methods of gathering artifacts before you speak so quickly." Ethan stated condescendingly.

The whole time Rupert Giles had been standing there staring at the beautiful suntanned angel that was busing telling his friend off.  But as he heard Ethan insult her, he stepped in.

"I'm sorry, Miss….?"

"Summers. Joyce Summers."

"Lord Rupert Giles the III.  Please ignore my friend Ethan here.  He can be so uncouth at times.  So you have a great interest in art?"

"Yes, I'm her for the year studying European Art History."

"And what part of America are you from?"

"I'm originally from Los Angeles, but I have been attending Berkley for 2 years now."

"How delightful!  I've been to America, but only the east coast.  I hear the west coast is quite beautiful, as are you."

"Why _Lord_ Giles, I'm surprised you can find such beauty in a country that questionably obtains artifacts." Joyce wasn't going to fall for this line.  She had a pretty good idea how Lord Rupert Giles felt about Americans and his title certainly did nothing to impress her. She'd run into several blue bloods while she was here that still weren't over the Revolution.  

"Oh Joyce, please don't misunderstand.  I have a passion for ancient artifacts.  I'm in the Graduate program studying Ancient History and have just developed some strong feelings about how all countries obtain artifacts – England is certainly guilty as well for past transgressions."

With, this Ethan could not take anymore of his friend falling over this blond American bimbo.  "I'm going to get another drink." He said as he walked off.

"I don't think your friend agrees with you, Mr. Giles." 

"Oh just ignore Ethan.  He thinks the moral high road is what ever side he stands on." Giles chuckled.  "And please Joyce, call me Rupert." He took her hand and sparks flew between them.  Joyce looked into is eyes and knew she was about to fall.  Hard.

Joyce and Rupert spent every free second together for the next few months.  They were inseparable, much to Ethan's chagrin.  But Giles was his best friend, so he didn't protest, knowing that no girl kept Rupert's interest for long.  Probably why he was with the American chit anyway – He'd run through all the other girls at Oxford.

Rupert had never met a girl like Joyce.  She was so free and open.  So unlike the stuffy girls he was used to dating.  The first time they made love, he knew he would never leave her.  He had never experience so much passion, so much fire with a woman. He made sure he told her every day how much he loved her.

Joyce didn't go home for Christmas; instead her father came to London, where he met Rupert. Rupert brought Hank and Joyce to meet his mother, Lady Lilah Giles.  Rupert's father, Rupert Giles the II, had been deceased for many years.  Joyce knew Rupert had a title and that he was distantly related to the queen, but what she didn't realize how wealthy he was.  Pembrook Manor, the family home was huge.  The large brick manor house sat amidst rolling green hills and lakes.  When the car passed through the gates her father looked at her in awe.  He couldn't believe his daughter was dating royalty.  Maybe he was wrong about Joyce and she wasn't a foolish as he once thought.

As the servants ushered them through the entrance and took their belongings to their rooms, Rupert advised Joyce and Hank that his mother would formally meet them at dinner.  He and his mother would be having a private tea that afternoon to catch up.  They all went to their rooms to freshen up.  Joyce had never felt so nervous in her life.  She was deeply in love with Rupert, but this was a bit more than she could handle.  She had grown up very comfortably in Los Angeles, was never denied anything from her father.  But this type of wealth made her very uncomfortable.  

Servants came to escort Hank and Joyce to the dining room.  Rupert and his mother were already seated.  Joyce couldn't believe how young his mother looked.  She was a very beautiful woman.  Rupert immediately rose to help Joyce with her chair.  

"Lady Giles, it's a pleasure to finally meet you.  This is my father, Hank Summers."

"Lady Giles, it's an honor." To Joyce's mortification, Hank gave a bow.  Lilah Giles seemed quite pleased though.

"No, the pleasure is mine.  My son has never deemed to bring home a lady friend, so I am quite pleased to have your company Ms. Summers.  How are you enjoying Oxford?"

"Very much so, Lady Giles."

"Wonderful.  Have you given any thought to staying on?" Lilah inquired.

"Well, I was planning to return to Berkley."

"What about Rupert?  It's not serious then?"

"Mother! I really don't think that's any of your business."  Giles face flushed with anger.

"Well considering how seriously you seem to be taking Ms. Summers, I do think it is my business.  How do you feel about this, Mr. Summers?"

"Well Lady Giles, I approve very much of their relationship, but I have learned the hard way that Joyce needs to make her own decisions." Hank replied.

Joyce sat in her chair staring at her plate.  The conversation was making her extremely uncomfortable.  She and Giles had expressed their love for each other, but they had not discussed the future.  She wasn't even sure what she wanted for the future.  She loved Rupert and she enjoyed being in England, but California was her true home.

The rest of the meal continued with small chitchat.  Afterwards they retired to the drawing room, where Hank kept them entertained with stories of his criminal cases.  They retired to bed early that evening, since the next morning was Christmas.  Lady Giles informed them they would have an "American" style Christmas in honor of their guest, so everybody would meet downstairs in their robes and slippers.  Joyce wondered what they usually did.  Shortly after she had retired to her room, Rupert snuck in and they made love.

The next morning at 8, a servant woke Joyce and set out a robe and slippers for her.  Rupert had already left; he must have known the servant would be waking her.  She put on some lip-gloss and brushed her hair.  When she got there, a small dark haired woman was the only other person at the tree.  She was singing to herself and holding a doll.

"Hello, I'm Joyce!"

The woman turned and looked around the room, her eyes finally settling on Joyce.  Joyce wasn't sure if she even saw her.

"I'm here with Rupert.  And you are?" Joyce inquired, hoping she wasn't being rude.

The woman finally seemed to focus in on Joyce and smiled.  "I'm Drusilla, Rupert's sister, and this is Miss Edith." She held up the doll for Joyce's inspection.  

Joyce looked at the doll, and then back at Drusilla.  "Well Drusilla, it's a pleasure to meet you.  I hope we can get to know each other during my visit. Did you just arrive last night?"

"No, I live here, but I was bad, so mommy put me in my room."

Joyce did not know what to say to this.  Fortunately, Rupert, Lilah and her father entered the room before she had to reply.  Rupert introduced his sister to Hank and they proceeded to open presents while the servants served tea and scones.  After all the gifts were opened, Rupert stood up and cleared his throat.

"I have one last present for Joyce.  Joyce, these past few months have been the best of my life and it was made even better this holiday with our families meeting and approving of each other.  I now know for certain I was meant to be with you and hope you feel the same.  Joyce will you give me the honor of becoming my wife?"  Giles got down on one knee in front of Joyce – in his hand was an open ring box with a large, radiant cut diamond in an antique setting.  "Joyce, my mother has given me the ring that my father presented to her, which was his mothers."  He looked up expectantly at her.  

Joyce glanced over to her father, who was nodding at her, and Lady Lilah who smiled at her.  Drusilla was over in the corner humming to herself and rocking Miss Edith.  This was very sudden, but she loved Rupert, and obviously their parents approved.

"Yes, Rupert, I will be your wife."

Rupert's face broke out into a large smile, and he place the ring on her left hand.  He gently kissed her lips and then embraced her. 

He went over to Hank and shook his hand.  "Thank you Hank, for giving me the permission to ask your daughter for her hand."

"No problem son.  You're a good man, I couldn't be happier for you and my daughter."

"When did this happen?" Joyce asked.

"Last night before dinner, I went to his room and talked with him." Giles replied.

Lilah came over to Joyce and hugged her.  "Welcome to the family dear.  We'll have to start planning the wedding – June will be here before you know it!"

"June!" Joyce gulped.  "I'm not finished with school yet."

"Well Rupert will be graduating in May and taking his place in the House of Lords, so it only seems proper to do it in June.  Besides, you can still finish your studies while being a married woman.  Now let's all get dressed, guest will start calling soon."  Lilah walked out of the room and a servant went over to Drusilla to escort her to her room.  Hank hugged Joyce and left as well.  Giles and Joyce were alone.

"Joyce, I hope things aren't moving to fast for you.  I just love you so much and can't wait to start our life together."

"Rupert, I love you too.  It is fast, but it will be okay, as long as we're together."  They kissed and then went upstairs to prepare.

_A/N: Please review!  Thanks!_


	2. Betrayal

Chapter 2 – Betrayal

The next few months were a whirlwind, with classes and preparing for the wedding.  Lady Lilah took care of most of the preparations and had hired a wedding planner, but Joyce insisted on having a say on some matters – especially her dress and the cake.  Giles didn't take any part in the preparations, stating he was to busy with his Thesis to get involved.  Ethan Rayne advised him several times that marrying Joyce was a mistake and he'd regret it, but Giles ignored him.  He was in love.  Despite his objections, Ethan still agreed to be his best man.  Joyce's best friend from high school, Jenny Callendar was flying in to be her maid of honor.  Jenny was planning to come to England anyway.  She was a computer wiz and had graduated college early and was hired by a company in London.  Joyce was thrilled that her best friend would be so close buy.  She wasn't thrilled when Jenny hit it off with Ethan.  But she kept her mouth shut.  Jenny went through guys quickly anyway, so it really didn't matter.

The wedding was beautiful, but formal.  Due to tradition, they did not kiss after saying their vows, but Rupert more than made up for it that night.  Joyce had only had one lover before Giles and couldn't believe how much passion he infused in her.  They couldn't keep their hands off each other.  Giles was insatiable; he wanted her morning, noon and night.  Joyce couldn't be that surprised when she found out she was pregnant.  It was hard to remember to use her diaphragm every time they made love.  Everybody was overjoyed at the news.  Joyce was a little disappointed that she'd not graduated first, but Lady Lilah assured her they would hire a nanny so Joyce could finish her last year of school.  

Joyce had an easy pregnancy, and relatively easy birth.  She and Rupert welcomed the birth of their daughter, Elizabeth Anne Summers Giles.   They named her Elizabeth after Joyce's mother and Anne for Rupert's grandmother.  They nicknamed the baby Lizzy.  Joyce was able to finish up her last year of study with the help of the nanny Lady Lilah hired.  Since Giles had taken his place at the House of Lords and taken over running the families financial affairs he had become very busy and traveled often.  But when he and Joyce were together, they were very happy and led a very comfortable life.  They split their time between Oxford, Pembrook and London where they had a lovely town home.  Jenny and Ethan were now living together in London, and the couples saw each other frequently.

After Joyce graduated they gave up the apartment at Oxford.  Lady Lilah insisted that Joyce spend as much time as possible at Pembrook so she could be near her granddaughter.  Joyce was also good company for Drusilla – she seemed to have a calming effect on the girl and Drusilla loved to play with Lizzy.  Joyce generally spent the weekdays at Pembrook and went down to London on the weekend to be with Giles.  Giles spent less and less time at Pembrook as he and his mother had had some disagreements regarding the family's finances.  

One Thursday Joyce decided to leave Pembrook early and head into London.  She needed to buy some clothes for a function she and Rupert were attending that Saturday.  She tried calling Rupert to let him know that she and Lizzy would be arriving, but he wasn't picking up at the office or at home.  It was late in the evening when she and Lizzy arrived and the house was dark.  Joyce put Lizzy down in her crib and then went to get ready for bed.  When she opened the door to her bedroom she heard a strange sound.  Like someone was panting.   She flipped on the light to discover Rupert lying on his back in the bed while Jenny Callendar was furiously riding his cock.  As soon as the light came on Jenny looked over her shoulder and gasped.  Rupert was too busy shooting his load into her to register what was happening.

Joyce ran from the room.  By this time Jenny had let Rupert know what had happened. He quickly pulled on some pants and chased after Joyce.  She was in Lizzy's room, gathering up Lizzy's things.  

"Joyce, wait, I can explain!"

"Rupert there is nothing to explain about you FUCKING my best friend!" Joyce shouted through the tears that were running down her face.  She could not believe she been betrayed by her husband and her best friend.  She thought this kind of thing only happened in TV movies.

Jenny walked into the room; she had her clothes on now.  "Joyce I am so sorry!  We never meant to hurt you.  It was just sex – Rupert still loves you."

"Oh, yes, just sex.  Well that makes it all better, doesn't it!"  Hearing the arguing, baby Lizzy started to cry.  "Now look how you have upset my child!  Both of you get out of here- I don't want to see either one of you ever again!"

Jenny quickly left and Rupert tried to approach Joyce.  "Please dear, we must discuss this.  I don't want to ruin our family.  I love you so much!" He pleaded.

Joyce cradled a wailing Lizzy.  "Well you should have thought of that before you fucked my best friend.  Now get out!"

Giles hung his head and left.

Over the next few days he tried repeatedly calling Joyce, but she wouldn't take his calls.  He finally had to inform his mother about what had happened.  Lady Lilah was furious.  

"You couldn't even get a hotel room!  How stupid are your Rupert!  You better figure a way to get Joyce back.  You will not soil this families name with a divorce!" Lilah ordered.

Giles tried to go see Joyce, but she had the locks on the town home changed.  He called Hank and explained what had happened, and asked if he could get through to Joyce.  Hank felt bad for Rupert, but he knew Joyce wouldn't listen to him.  So Hank did the only thing he could do.  He came to England to bring is daughter and granddaughter home.  

When he got there, he knocked on the door, but got no answer. He saw Joyce's car in front so he knew she was home.

"Joyce honey, it's Daddy.  Please let me in honey.  I'm alone." Hank shouted through the door.  He saw a curtain move.  Joyce then came down and opened the door.

"Did Rupert send you?"

"He called, but I told him I couldn't help him.  I've come her to bring you home sweetheart."

"Oh Daddy!" Joyce threw herself in Hanks arms, sobbing.

Hank helped her get all her paperwork in order for leaving the country.  He also contacted some colleagues of his at powerful law firm in London.  Hank and his associates met with Rupert and Lilah and came to a settlement agreement.  At first Lilah fought it – she didn't want her families reputation soiled like this, but Rupert forced her to give in.  They did get Joyce to agree that it would just be a permanent separation.  No actual divorce would take place.  This somewhat placated Lady Lilah.

Rupert loved Joyce with all his heart, and knew how badly he hurt her.  He gave her full custody of Lizzy so that she could return to the states and a generous financial settlement that would allow them to live comfortably.  Hank and Joyce promised that Rupert and Lilah could visit Lizzy at any time, but only in the U.S. – they didn't trust them to return her if Joyce allowed Lizzy to go to England.  

Joyce brought Lizzy to Pembrook for one last visit with her father's family.  Lilah and Drusilla wept as her car drove away.  Rupert locked himself in his study and drank himself into oblivion.

_A/N: Please review!  Thanks!_


	3. America

Chapter 3 – America

When Joyce and Lizzy were back in the states, they stayed a few months with Hank in Los Angeles.  Hank helped Joyce legally change Lizzy's name to Elizabeth Anne Summers.  Joyce also decided to start calling Lizzy 'Buffy'.  She wanted to distance herself from her life in England as much as she could.  Buffy didn't really notice her name change since she was only 18 months at the time. 

Joyce purchased a small Craftsman style home in town of Sunnydale, approximately 3 hours from LA.  Hank was disappointed, but understood why Joyce didn't want to raise her daughter in the city, especially after spending so much time at Pembrook.  A child should have a yard to play in.  Hank visited frequently.  Joyce opened a small art gallery in town once Buffy started school.  They led a very happy life.  Joyce really didn't date; she didn't feel she could trust a man again after Rupert.  

At first Rupert visited Buffy every year.  He usually came for her Birthday.  It deeply pained him to see Joyce and to see the happy life she had with Buffy.  All he could think about was that this was the life he was missing out on.  By Buffy's 6th birthday, the visits stopped.  Rupert was drinking heavily.  Lilah had taken away the control of the families affairs from him and managed them herself.  She was mortified at Rupert's conduct.  She sent him to rehab several times, but it never lasted.  He was simply a drunk. 

Fortunately, Buffy asked Joyce very few questions about her father.  She just accepted that he wasn't around.  Hank was a better grandfather than he was a father to Joyce, so Buffy had a strong male influence in her life.  Then when Buffy turned 15, Hank passed away.  He suffered a fatal heart attack.  Buffy and Joyce were devastated.  They were all alone in the world now.  Joyce considered trying to contact Lady Lilah or Giles, but after her last conversations with them she decided it was best if she and Buffy stayed on their own.  Lilah had never forgiven Joyce for leaving Rupert.  She felt a woman should ignore her husband's indiscretions.  A bitter control freak and a drunk weren't what Buffy needed in her life.  So she didn't call and just tried to make sure she was the best parent she could be.  Having a teenage daughter was hard, but they managed.  The day Buffy graduated was the happiest day of Joyce's life.  Joyce had hoped Buffy would attend Berkley or Stanford, but unfortunately Buffy's grades weren't that great.  But Buffy was great at cheerleading and got a partial scholarship to Sunnydale University.  They were okay with her grades and had great hopes about what she could do for their cheerleading program.

_Buffy's POV _

Summer – 2000

Now that I'm 18 I can't wait to start college in the fall.  A lot of my friends are going out of state for school, but I chose Sunnydale U. since I want to stay close to my mom.  And by best friend Cordy's going there too and we're going to be roommates.  The cheerleading scholarship they offered me didn't hurt either.  I always worry about my mom and finances.  I know she doesn't make that much at the gallery and I highly doubt my deadbeat dad sends her child support.  I don't know what type of work he does – we haven't heard from him since I was little.  I can barely remember what he looks like.  Mom inherited some money when grandpa passed away, but she shouldn't blow it all on sending me to school, especially with my grades.

I have high hopes for college.  High school was great.  I was pretty popular, had lots of friends.  I dated a great guy name Riley, but we broke up right after prom.  He decided that he was going to go to school in Iowa, where he was originally from and we didn't think we could handle a long distance romance.  I wasn't really in love with him either, so it really wasn't a big deal.  I've dated a few other guys, but I've never really been in head over heels love, like in the movies. I've never had sparks fly when I kissed a guy.  

My mom rarely dates, and if she does, they guy never last past the third date.  I always wonder what happened with my parents.  Sometimes I want to ask my mom, but she finds it very painful to talk about Dad, so I don't ever bring him up.  I wonder if they were in love.  Once an Englishman named Ethan Rayne came to visit my mom.  I was 14 at the time.  Apparently he knew my mother when she lived in England.  He was very nice to me and even brought me a present.  A stuffed pig a call 'Mr. Gordo'.   He said he had a teenage daughter who loved stuffed animals and hoped I did too.  Mom was very polite to him, but I heard them arguing after I went to bed.  I snuck into the hallway to listen.

"Joyce, Rupert is drinking himself into a stupor.  I have forgiven him and so should you.  You should at least let him see his daughter!"

"It was Rupert's choice to stop seeing Buffy.  I am not going to take her to England because he can't handle coming to America."

"He can't handle coming to America because of how cold you were to him when he did come.   Joyce, you were the love of his life and you are still his wife!  I should have told you Rupert was a sex addict before the two of you married.  But I thought he had it under control."

"Sex Addict!  How ridiculous.  He just couldn't keep it in his pants.  The man obviously has no self-control.  Not that your one to talk – I know about you and Drusilla.  Apparently I'm not the only one who carries a grudge."

"Yes it's true, but I have now forgiven Rupert and I'm trying to help him get his life back on track.  Seeing Buffy would definitely help."

"I'm sorry Ethan, but that's not going to happen.  Thank you for coming by, but I think you should leave now."

As mom showed Ethan to the door, I snuck back to my bedroom and thought about what I had heard.  I wondered who 'Drusilla' was – what an odd name!  My parents are still married and my dad was a sex addict!  Wow, no wonder my mom was so uptight about sex.  She had always told me to wait until marriage, that having sex led to nowhere but trouble.

_A/N: Please review!  Thanks!_


	4. Family

Chapter 4 – Family

England

Lady Lilah Giles looked good for her age.  Damn good.  Many men of means still coveted her attentions.  She sometimes wished that she had remarried after her husband had passed, but she was vain and did not wish to give up her title.  She had taken many lovers over the years, but the years were still lonely.  Her children made matters worse.  Rupert had foolishly messed up his life and was now a disgraceful drunk.  Drusilla was in and out of institutions and a constant burden.  It became even worse when Ethan Rayne married her.  Drusilla was only 18 at the time and Lilah had suspected the relationship might have been going on for years.  Several years.  Despite her objections to Ethan, Lilah was relieved that she would be rid of the girl, but she should have known better.  Instead of Drusilla moving out, Ethan moved into Pembrook.  He knocked Drusilla up right away, and once baby Dawn arrived he made sure he was away on business most of the year.  Lilah was aware he had mistresses, but at least he was smarter than Rupert and hid his dalliances from Drusilla.  She sometimes suspected that Ethan had just married Drusilla to get back at Rupert for sleeping with Jenny Callendar.  Ethan's family was very wealthy so it certainly wasn't for Drusilla's inheritance. 

The only bright spot for Lilah was Dawn.  She was a shy, lovely girl, with none of her mother's afflictions.  Having Dawn made up for Lizzy being in America for Lilah.  She raised Dawn the way she had hoped Drusilla and Rupert would turn out.  She knew Dawn suffered from her parents neglect and often overindulged her to make up for it.  Amazingly, Dawn was rather unspoiled.

Lilah took over the family's finances from Rupert a few years after his separation from Joyce.  He was quickly squandering away the family fortune.  Since she had taken control she had nearly tripled what her husband had left her.  She was quite proud of this - she had to work very hard to cover the disgraces of Rupert and Drusilla.

When the police came to the manor one day to tell her that Rupert was dead, she was not surprised.  In her mind her son had been dead for years.  Now she finally had something to burry.

Drusilla on the other hand, was devastated.  She threatened to slice her wrist and join him.  The servants restrained her in her room.  Dawn took it in stride.  She never knew how her Uncle was before he became a drunk.  Her only concern was her mother.  As Lilah prepared to have her institutionalized again, Dawn objected.

"You know it's not going to do any good – it will be like all the other times.  You might as well leave her here and just hire a nurse to make sure she gets all her pills."

"A girl your age should not have to deal with this."

"Well, somebody has to, and it's just you and me now.  I'm 15 now and you can't continue to hide what really goes on in this family from me, so I think I should have a say in what happens to my mother.  I doubt if Dad will even come home for the funeral."

"I actually heard from him this morning.  He is planning on coming.  He said he had something important he needed to discuss with me.  He should be here this evening."  Lilah felt terrible about how pessimistic Dawn was regarding her parents.  She had offered on several occasions to send Dawn to boarding school so she could get away and lead a more normal life, but she refused.  She was too devoted to Drusilla to leave her.

Ethan arrived that evening as promised.  He came bearing tons of gifts for Dawn, as usual.  She thanked him politely and excused herself to her room, saying she had a lot of homework to catch up on.  He briefly went in to see Drusilla, but she was too sedated to realize he was there.  Ethan then joined Lilah in the parlor.

"Lady Lilah, I am so sorry about Rupert.  I had always hoped he would manage to turn himself around."

"Thank you Ethan, but my son was deeply troubled and all our attempts to help him were futile.  I do appreciate everything you tried to do for him.  But Ethan, we must talk about Drusilla.  She's taken the news quite hard, and Dawn does not wish for her to return to the institution.  I can't really blame her, the girl should have at least on parent around."  Lilah raised her eyebrows at Ethan as she said this.

"Lady Lilah, I know I have been a terrible husband and father, but you are quite aware of how difficult Drusilla can be.  I think I have been quite generous in the time and devotion I have given her over the years."

"Yes, Ethan, I do understand about Drusilla, but there is no excuse for your treatment of Dawn.  The girl needs a stable parent in her life."

"Oh Lilah, don't sit there and try to pretend you haven't reveled in raising Dawn.  You've made a miniature Lady Giles, now haven't you?" Ethan commented snidely.

"Trust me Ethan, I would have much preferred for Dawn to be raised by her parents, but I certainly wasn't going to lady my granddaughter, heir to the Giles title and fortune, be neglected.  It was my duty to raise her as a proper young lady." Lilah countered.

"Fine Lady Lilah, we could argue about this all evening, but you have just hit on the exact point I came here to discuss with you.  Dawn is not the only heir to the Giles title and fortune.  Have you forgotten your eldest granddaughter?  The one in America that you have never once visited or called?  Or do you prefer to pretend she doesn't exist?"

"Of course I have not forgotten Lizzy!  Unfortunately circumstance dictate that I must.  The future of this family is Dawn."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous.  Now is the time to make amends.  You need to contact Joyce and let her know about Giles.  For Christ sake, she is still his wife.  And Buffy is his only child.  They deserve to know.  And this is the time to reach out to them.  We could all be a family again.  If anything would help Drusilla, it would be Joyce and Buffy coming home."

"Buffy?" Lilah inquired.

"Oh, Joyce is now calling Lizzy 'Buffy' now."

"What type of name is Buffy?  How do you know this – have you spoken with them?"

"I actually visited them in America about 3 years ago.  I was in Los Angeles on business and looked them up.  They're living in a small town in California called Sunnydale.  I tried to convince Joyce to reconnect with the family, but she wouldn't hear of it."

"Ethan, how could you do this and not tell me!  I am so angry with you for going behind my back!"

"Lady Lilah, I was only trying to help save Rupert.  I thought if anything could pull him back, it would be Buffy and Joyce!"

"Well he obviously made the choice to cut them out of his lives.  I have to respect my son's wishes."

"Bullocks!  You interfere with more people's lives than I can count.  What's the real reason you are shutting out Buffy?"

"How dare you take that tone with me Ethan Rayne.  I have only done what was proper.  How would it look, Buffy showing up after Giles has neglected her all these years?"

"Oh Lilah, how vain can you be?  All you're concerned about is appearance.  You need to be concerned about your family.  Well I'm fed up with it!  If you don't contact Buffy and Joyce, I will." Ethan glared at her.

Lilah could not believe this.  She had never been treated in such an appalling manner.  But Ethan was right.  She was ashamed of how Rupert had treated Joyce and Lizzy.  And she was ashamed she hadn't done something in the early years to rectify it.

"Fine Ethan, your right." Lilah stated in a small voice.  "As soon as the funeral is over, I will go to American and try to talk with Joyce and Lizzy."

"Don't you think they should be allowed to attend the funeral?"

"That's just too traumatic and there is just to much bad history.  I want to try to start my new relationship with them on a more positive note.  It's bad enough to have to tell them this news, but then to put them through the funeral?  No, after is best."

Ethan was so relieved that she had agreed to make contact that he argued no further.  "Fine, I'll accompany you.  I think they'll be much more receptive with a neutral party present."

"Fine Ethan, we will leave on Friday."

_A/N: Please review!  Thanks!_


	5. Surprise

Chapter 5 – Surprise

Buffy sat in her favorite club, 'The Bronze', with her best friend Cordelia Chase, Cordelia's boyfriend Connor, and her ex, Riley Finn.  They only had 1 month to go before school started and everybody was trying to squeeze in as much fun as possible.  Buffy sometimes felt weird spending all this time with Riley since they had broken up, but he had proven to be a better friend then boyfriend.  She felt much more relaxed with him these days.

"Ewe, do you see what that girl is wearing?  Somebody needs to call the fashion police." Cordelia sneered at a rather nerdy girl wearing a puffy pink sweater.  She was very much the snob. Her family was very wealthy and she prided herself in being one of the best dressed girls at Sunnydale High.  

"Yeah, she needs some serious help." Buffy felt bad for the girl.  Not everybody could have the great fashion sense she and Cordy had.  They spent many of their afternoons at the mall, making sure they had the perfect outfits for going out and for school.  Both girls liked to dress sophisticated yet sexy.  Buffy was small and petite, and could wear anything and look wonderful.  Cordelia was tall and voluptuous, and she wore outfits to accentuate her curves.  She was the only girl at Sunnydale High that actually owned a pair of Jimmy Choos.  Cordelia had such a great sense of style that she planned to major in interior design at Sunnydale U.  Buffy was majoring in General Studies, since she had no idea what she wanted to do with her life.  Other than fashion and cheerleading, she had no real interest.

"Guess what guys?" Riley pulled a card out of his wallet.  "My older brother got me a fake I.D. as a going away present for college.  Why don't I go try it out and get us a pitcher?"

"All right!" said Connor.

Buffy and Cordelia gave each other a knowing look.  "All right," Buffy said, "But if you get busted, we're not bailing you out of jail."

"Ladies please, I will be back in a moment." He headed over to the bar.

"Come on Connor, let's dance while he's getting the drinks." Cordelia led Connor to the dance floor.  Buffy stayed at the table and watched Cordelia and Connor.  Connor looked a lot younger than Cordelia even though they were the same age.  "Good thing he didn't try the fake I.D." Buffy thought to herself.  Cordelia and Connor had only been dating a few months, and Connor was planning to attend school at UCLA.  Cordelia had told Buffy that they weren't going to break up, but Buffy knew Cordelia better than that.  She got bored easily with men, and she would tire quickly of the distance issue.  Buffy knew she and Riley had definitely made the right decision breaking up.

"What you thinking about, Buffy?" Riley inquired as he set the pitcher and cups on the table.

"Oh, just school.  I'm so excited to start this fall." Buffy lied.  She couldn't believe Riley actually got the beer.  She started pouring cups as Cordy and Connor made their way back to the table.  

The friends then proceeded to get very drunk as Riley managed to purchase them 3 more pitchers that night.  Around midnight, Buffy was feeling quite adventurous.

"Let's go swimming!"

"My parents are gone, we can use my pool." Cordelia offered.

"Great, lets go." Riley and Connor said at the same time.  Connor was very glad that Cordelia's parents were gone.  

The gang headed over to Cordelia's house.  Once there, Cordelia broke into her parent's liquor cabinet and set up Tequila shots for everyone.  Then she and Buffy went up to her room and changed into swimsuits.  Buffy quickly called her mom and told her she was staying over at Cordy's.  She tried to sound as sober as possible during the conversation.  Thankfully her mother was really tired and didn't notice.

When the girls had finished changing, they went down to the pool and found the guys were already in it.  They had just stripped down to their underwear.  Buffy jumped in and joined them while Cordelia sat on the edge and dangled her feet in the water.

"Come on Cordelia, join the fun." Called Riley, who was tossing a beach ball around.

"It's a little chilly, I need to ease my was in."

"Don't be a baby.  If you don't jump in, Connor and I are going to have to pull you in," teased Riley.

"Riley Finn, if you pull me in that water you'll regret it!" screeched Cordelia just as Riley and Connor both pulled her in the water.

The couples horsed around for a while in the water, and then Cordelia and Connor moved to the other side of the pool and began making out.

"So Riley, whatcha want to do now?" Buffy said as she floated on her back in the water.

"Well, just because we broke up doesn't mean we can't have any fun.  I miss you Buffy."  Riley pulled Buffy to him and kissed her.

"Riley, we can't start this up again.  It's not right."  Buffy tried pulling away.  Riley just pulled her closer.

"Sure we can.  We're adults Buffy.  I've been thinking, and I don't want to start college a virgin.  I would prefer for my first time to be with somebody I care about.  I want you so badly.  I've always wanted you, but I held back because you weren't ready."

"Riley, I'm still not ready.  I care about you, but I want my first time to be with someone I love.  We care about each other, but we're not in love."

Riley released his hold on Buffy.  "I can respect that Buffy.  Let's go inside.  I'll pour us some more shots and we can see what movie's the Chase's have on DVD."

The next morning, Buffy woke up in the guest room with a raging headache.  It didn't help that the wall behind her bed was shaking and she could hear Cordelia moaning, "Fuck me harder Connor!  Harder!"  She started to get up and immediately felt nauseas.  

"Morning sunshine!" greeted Riley from the twin bed beside hers.

"God, my head! My stomach! Can you just be a little quieter?  Can they be a little quieter?" groaned Buffy.  "Somebody please close the drapes!"

"Oh those two kids are just have some old fashioned fun," smirked Riley.  "Looks like somebody can't handle their liquor." Riley chuckled, "I'll go make a Mickey-D's run.  Nothing like a sausage biscuit to cure hangover stomach."

"Coffee.  Buffy needs coffee."

"Yes, I'll bring coffee too."

Buffy laid back down and tried to forget her splitting head.  She dozed off again and when she woke up she went downstairs and found Riley, Cordelia and Connor eating.  

"Did everybody have fun last night?" chirped Cordelia.

"Apparently not as much as you. Am I the only one with a hangover?" Buffy groaned.

"Buffy, you need to learn to handle your liquor if you're going to be starting Sunnydale U. in the fall.  How are you going to handle all those frat parties?" joked Connor.

"Buffy, is not drinking anymore.  Beer bad."  Buffy gulped some coffee and nibbled at her sausage McMuffin.  "I got to split guys, I have a ton of errands to run.  At least my mom will be at work and won't see me like this.  Oh God, I smell too!  Riley, can you drive me home if I'm not too stinky for your car?"

"Sure Buff."

Riley dropped Buffy off in front of her home.  She put her key in the lock, but she found the knob turned without her twisting the key.  "It's not like Mom to forget to lock the door, " Buffy thought.  Then she glanced over in the driveway and saw her mom's car and a very expensive looking Mercedes parked beside it.  "Oh shit!" Buffy said to herself.  "I bet one of Mom's art dealers is visiting from L.A."

Buffy walked into the house and saw her mom sitting in the living room with two visitors, an attractive older lady wearing a black suit and a gentleman who she recognized.  Joyce stood up as Buffy entered.

"Buffy, dear I'm so glad your home." Joyce said nervously.  Buffy had never seen her mother so agitated.    I called Cordelia's and she said you were on your way over.  Buffy there's been some bad news.  You remember Mr. Rayne?" Joyce motioned to the visitors. "He visited us from England a couple years ago.  And Buffy, this is Lady Lilah Giles, your grandmother."

_Please Review – Thanks!_


	6. Grandma

Chapter 6 – Grandma

A/N – I know very little about England, I've only been their once and spent my time doing touristy stuff.  Please excuse any incorrect information from this point forward due to my lack of knowledge of the country and culture.  Thanks!

"My Grandmother?" asked a shocked Buffy.

"Oh Lizzy dear, I am so happy to see you." Cried Lilah with tears in her eyes.  She went over to Buffy and hugged her.  Buffy stood there stiffly.

"Lady Lilah, she doesn't go by Lizzy anymore – we call her Buffy," said Joyce.

"When did I ever go by Lizzy?" Buffy looked at Joyce, trying to figure out what was going on.  She was so confused.

"I'm so sorry, it's just in England it was Lizzy – all these years I've just been thinking of my little Lizzy." apologized Lilah as she stood hugging Buffy tightly.  She started to run her hand over Buffy's hair.  "Buffy dear, your hair is all rumpled? You smell like you've been at a pub!  What have you been doing?  Joyce, where has she been all night?" Lilah looked disapprovingly at Joyce.  Joyce gave her a weak smile, but didn't know how to respond.  She was a little bit shocked at Buffy's appearance as well.  

Buffy pulled out of the embrace and stood their mortified.  She could not believe this was happening to her.  She finally meets her grandmother and her hairs a mess and she smells.  She looked over at Ethan and he gave her a smile.  He looked very tired.

"So why the visit now?" Buffy asked coolly.  She had a lot of pent up rage about her father and his family.  "Where's my father?  Why didn't he come visit me?"

At this Lilah burst into tears.  Ethan rushed over to comfort her.

"Buffy dear," Joyce came over to her, "your father has passed away.  There was a car accident.  That's why Ethan and Lady Lilah are here.  They wanted to tell us the news in person."  Joyce had tears in her eyes as she said this.  It tore her up how Rupert had died.  In the back of her mind she had always hoped that one day he would stop drinking and would have some type of relationship with Buffy.

Buffy sat down in a chair.  This was just too much at once.  Her father was dead and now she would never get the chance to know him.  To tell him how upset she was at the way he abandoned her.  To find out what he was like, what his voice sounded like or his laugh.  She would never know if he was proud of her.  And here was a grandmother she never met, sitting in here calling her Lizzie, as Buffy sat all smelly and hung over.  

"So are we going to England for the funeral," Buffy asked, looking over at Joyce.

"Buffy dear, the funeral happened three days ago.  The family wanted it over and done with."  Ethan explained.

"Why didn't you call us?  Didn't you think we had the right to say goodbye?" Joyce asked with tears in her eyes.

Lilah looked coolly at Joyce. "Well since their had me no efforts made by either party to reconcile up until this point, I saw no point in delaying the funeral.  Besides, the car wreck was quite severe and the body could not be shown for viewing."

At this, Buffy burst into tears. "I'm sorry, I can't take all this right now." Buffy ran up the stairs to her room.

Joyce looked at Lady Lilah and Ethan apologetically.  "I'm sorry, but you must realize what a shock this is to her.  We really haven't talked that much about her father or England, so you can imagine what a surprise this is to her.  Why don't you two go back to your hotel?  I'll talk to Buffy and we will come there and talk with you later this afternoon."

Lilah started to protest, but Ethan interrupted her.  "Yes Joyce, I think that would be best.  The girl did look quite shocked.  We are staying in the Presidential Suite at the Sheraton downtown.  Why don't you and Buffy come around 4?  We'll have tea and talk."

Joyce nodded and agreement and escorted Lady Lilah and Ethan to the door.  She then went upstairs to talk to her daughter.  Buffy was in the shower when Joyce got upstairs.  She sat down on Buffy's bed and waited for her.

When Buffy came out of the bathroom, Joyce stood up and hugged her.  "Buffy, I'm so sorry about how things went today with your grandmother.  You must understand that she is very upset; not only about your father's death, but also about how I never returned to England or invited her here.  I have so many regrets now.  I should have never kept you from your father, no matter how upset I was with him.  Buffy, please forgive me." Joyce burst into tears.

"Mom, of course I forgive you!  I understand why you did what you did.  I can't stand her and say that I'm not sorry I never met my father, but what's done is done.  You gave me a great life here in Sunnydale."  Buffy handed some Kleenex to Joyce.  

Joyce dabbed her eyes.  "Buffy, before you came home this morning, Lady Giles, Ethan and I had a long talk.  They are not only here to tell us about your father.  They are here to take you back to England with them."

"What!"

"Buffy, your fathers family is very wealthy, and they… well you too, are distantly related to the royal family.  Lady Giles not only hold her deceased husbands title, but she is a second cousin of the queen.  Due to your fathers death, you stand to inherit a large some of money, as well as a title."

Buffy sat down on the edge of her bed.  Stunned was not a strong enough word to describe what she was feeling.  "Mom, I need some time alone.  I have to think about this.  It's just too much all at once."

Joyce patted Buffy's shoulder.  "I understand honey.  You take some time and relax.  I told Ethan and Lady Giles we would meet them at their hotel this afternoon for tea to talk about things."  Joyce left the room, and went into her own bedroom.  She needed some time to think too.  She opened up the trunk at the foot of her bed and started leafing through old photo albums of her and Rupert.  They had looked so happy, and now he was gone.  Tears flowed at the memories.  She had never been able to be with another man since him and now she was sure she never would.  She had been so foolish all these years, denying her love for him.  Letting him destroy his life because she couldn't forgive him.  She should have stayed in England.  She wasn't going to make another life altering mistake.  She was going to make sure Buffy went to England and got to know her family.  


	7. Goodbye Sunnydale

Chapter 7 – Goodbye Sunnydale

_A/N: Sorry for the delay – enjoy!_

Later that day Joyce and Buffy arrived at the Sheraton.  Buffy was extremely nervous.  She had told Joyce in the car that she was not going to England, but Joyce asked her to have an open mind.  Joyce knew Lady Lilah had nothing but good intentions; she just had to convince Buffy of this.  They also talked about what Buffy was doing the night before and why she came home that morning in such a state.  Buffy admitted to her mother that she had been drinking, and that she had stayed in the same room with Riley, but assured her nothing happened.  Joyce was so proud that Buffy could be honest with her.

Ethan greeted Joyce and Buffy at the door to the suite.  The hotel staff was busy inside setting up the tea and pastries.  Lady Lilah was seated on a couch, talking on the phone with her lawyers.  As soon as she saw Buffy and Joyce, she ended the conversation.

"Lizzy, Joyce – I'm so glad you made it.  Lizzy, are you feeling better?"

Buffy grimaced at the greeting.  "It's Buffy, and yes, I am feeling much better, thank you."

"I'm so sorry dear, I keep forgetting.  Buffy, Joyce, please sit down.  Would you care for some tea and biscuits?"

The servants rushed to serve the refreshments and Buffy and Joyce accepted.  Once they were all seated and sipping their tea, Lilah began.

"Buffy, I understand this is all a shock to you.  I regret that we did not make further efforts before my son's passing to get in touch with you.  You seem to be such a lovely girl, and looking at you I have nothing but regret for missing out on you growing up."

"Lady Lilah, the fault is as much mine as yours." Joyce interrupted.

"Well let's not dwell on who's fault it was.  I just want to concentrate on the future.  Buffy, I'm sure your mother has informed you that I wish for you to return to England with me.  I understand your hesitance.  Whether or not you decide to come with me, you have inherited your father's title and money.  And when I pass, you and your cousin Dawn will divide my estate, which contains the bulk of the family's assets.  What you have inherited from your father is just a small portion of the family's wealth.  But still, you are now a very wealthy girl."

Lilah pulled out a notebook. "Let me advise you on the specifics of your fathers estate.  I have already had the lawyers set up the accounts.  The total inheritance you will be receiving from your father's estate is £3 million, which is approximately $5 million in the U.S.  You have access to a quarter of your inheritance immediately.  Another quarter will be available on your 21st birthday, and the remainder on your 25th.  Another $1 million was left to your mother.  Before you leave here today, Ethan will give you all the information you need in order to access the money.  The title and position transferred at the time of Rupert's death.  You are now Lady Elizabeth Anne Summers Giles."

Buffy was in shock.  She could not believe the numbers that Lilah was throwing out at her.  She was rich, very rich.  And a Lady.  Lady Buffy. 

"Buffy, I know this is a lot of information to absorb, and we can go over it again later.  Lady Lilah and I hope you will consider at least visiting us and the rest of the family in England."  Ethan pulled out his wallet and showed Buffy a picture.  "This is your Aunt Drusilla, and with her is our daughter Dawn.  Dawn is very anxious to meet you."  Buffy gazed at the dark haired woman and girl in the photo.  So she had an aunt and a cousin.  She couldn't help be curious.

"So how is Drusilla?" Joyce inquired.  She had to admit, she thought about the girl often over the years, hoping she was okay.

"She's fine." Lilah answered quickly and turned toward Buffy.  "Now Buffy, I understand you are set to start college in August at Sunnydale University studying Art History, but I would like you to reconsider.  Our family home is about an hour away from Oxford, and with our connections we could have you enrolled this fall.  Your father and mother attended, as did your grandfather.  Oxford has an excellent Art History program, and I'm sure your aware of the University's reputation.  They even have an American dorm, with many other American students, so I'm sure you'd feel very comfortable.  On weekends, you could come visit us at the family estate, Pembrook."

Never in a million years did Buffy think she would ever have a chance to attend a school like Oxford.  Especially with her grades.  Proximity wasn't the only reason she had chosen Sunnydale U.   It was tempting, but, "I don't think I'm ready to leave Sunnydale and my mom," she told Lilah.

"Honey, don't hold back on account of me.  I will come visit you anytime you are lonely.  You were starting college anyway and you were going to live in the dorms, so you wouldn't be seeing that much of me.  This is a very wonderful opportunity that Lady Lilah is offering.  It's also you birthright."  Joyce stroked Buffy's hair and smiled encouragingly.

Buffy looked at her mother, and she could see that Joyce thought this was a good idea.  "Fine, I'll come for one year, but then I'm coming back to Sunnydale." As Buffy agreed, she felt a knot at the pit of her stomach.  She hoped this wasn't a mistake.

"Oh Buffy, I'm so happy you agreed.  I promise you, you will not regret your decision."  Lilah beamed.  "Ethan and I will get everything ready and we'll leave on Wednesday."

Joyce and Buffy finalized the arrangements and said their goodbyes.  Buffy's last days in Sunnydale flew by quickly.  She said goodbye to all her friends, visited all her favorite places one last time, and spent quality mother/daughter time with Joyce.  Lady Lilah sent servants to pack up her belongings and promised to buy her a ton of new clothes to start the school year once she reached England.  At the airport, she couldn't stop crying as Joyce and Cordy hugged her goodbye.  The tears continued as the private plane took off.  Buffy stared out the window, memorizing the Sunnydale skyline behind them.


	8. Pembrook

Chapter 8 – Pembrook

Buffy had calmed considerably by the time the plane touched down in England.  The ride to Pembrook took about an hour from Heathrow Airport.  Buffy was amazed by the beautiful countryside they passed.   When they pulled up to the gates of Pembrook she gasped.  Pembrook was not just a mansion, it was an estate.  The large stone house was nestled among rolling hills.  As the limo made its way up the long driveway they passed a lake filled with ducks and geese.  Lady Lilah and Ethan were standing at the entryway along with several other people.  A tall thin man opened the limo door as it pulled up to the entrance.

"Welcome home Buffy!  I hope you enjoy Pembrook as much as I have all these years!" Lady Lilah hugged Buffy as she got out of the limo.  

"Wow, I've never seen anything like this!" Buffy's jaw still hung open in awe.

"We will give you the grand tour, but first let me introduce you to your cousin Dawn." Ethan said as he hugged Buffy.  He then motioned to a tall gangly teenager who was smiling widely at Buffy.

"Hi Buffy, I'm Dawn!", said the girl who immediately threw herself at Buffy and hugged her fiercely.  "I'm so happy to finally meet you!  I've heard so much about you!  We are going to have the best time.  I have so much to show and tell you.  I can't wait, this is going to be the best!" The girl bubbled excitedly.

"It's nice to meet you Dawn," Buffy smiled at the girl.  She was used to adults talking in the English accent, but hearing it from a teenager who looked like she could be your all-American girl seemed odd. 

"Well Buffy, let's get you settled in your room and let you freshen up.  The servants will bring up your bags, and then we can give you a tour of the house." Lilah took Buffy's arm and led her into the house.  Dawn followed while Ethan directed the servants regarding Buffy's luggage.  Buffy was stunned when they entered the home.  The marble foyer was bigger than Buffy's whole house in Sunnydale.  Lilah led her up the staircase, where three different hallways split off from the landing.  She led Buffy to the left hallway and stopped four doors down.

"Buffy this will be your room.  You are right across the hall from Dawn." Lilah opened the door and walked in.  The room was very large with light blue wood paneling adorned with faint gold flowers and leaves.  Against the far wall between two floor to ceiling windows adorned with heavy drapes sat a white canopy bed with blue and gold bed linens.  The room had two large white wood dressers and a matching dressing table.  Lilah walked across the room to two sets of door.  "The doors on the right are your dressing room, and to the left is your private bath.  I have arranged for one of my chambermaids, Amy, to be at your disposal while you are here.  If you need her, just ring the bell by the bed.  When you are freshened up and ready for the tour, just go across the hall to Dawn's room and she will bring you to my study."  Lilah gave Buffy another quick hug and dragged Dawn from the room.

Buffy walked around the room, exploring her new surroundings.  She sat on the bed, which seemed very comfortable even though it was dressed very formally.  She opened the drawers to the dressers and found them to have plenty of space for her things.  The closet was a walk-in that was as big as her bedroom back in Sunnydale.  The bathroom was large but kind of old fashioned.  It had a large white claw foot tub with a shower curtain on an oval rod that went all the way around.  There was a white pedestal sink with a small medicine cabinet above it.  Every single thing in the bathroom was white, from the floor to ceiling.  

Buffy heard a knock at the door and went to answer it.  It was the servants bringing her luggage.  A young women who seemed to be Buffy's age introduced herself as Amy.  Amy let Buffy know that she would unpack her things and put them up for her. 

Since there was nothing left to do in her room, she made her way across the hall and knocked on the door that was supposed to be Dawn's room.  The door was immediately thrown open and Dawn pulled her inside.

"Let me show you my room!"  Dawn quickly darted around the room showing Buffy her things.  The room was as large as Buffy's room, but very different.  The walls were paneled in a combination of purple with pink square frames, the furniture seemed to be distressed antiques painted black, and the walls were adorned with posters of actors and musicians. One whole side of the room was covered with stereo equipment, a large screen TV, and an elaborate computer system.  It was very much a teenagers dream room. 

"Wow, your room is sure different than mine!" commented Buffy.

"Yours used to be a guest room.  Lady Lilah will let you redecorate it if you want.  She usually hires a decorator, but she let me design my own."

"Why do you call our grandmother Lady Lilah?  That doesn't bother her?" Buffy asked.

"I only call her that to her face if I'm peeved at her.   Usually to her face I call her grandmother.  But behind her back, it's Lady Lilah." Dawn smirked.

"So, I guess we should go meet up with her and start the tour.  I'm afraid I'll need a map to get around this place."

"It's not to hard to learn.  You only need to learn where a few rooms are.  Most of the rooms aren't used at all.  The family's not as big as it used to be when the home was built.  It's probably a terrible waste of space, but it gives a lot of privacy.  On weekends I can hole up in my room and not have to see anybody.  Lady Lilah only makes us eat with her on weeknights and the servants will serve your meals in your room if you like.  But since you'll be coming home on weekends once school starts, I'm sure that will change.  Lady Lilah will drag us all out for that parade."

Buffy was shocked.  Dawn sounded very bitter.  She must lead a very lonely life at Pembrook.  Buffy decided she would make an effort to get to know Dawn and hopefully they would become friends.  She had always wanted a little sister.  It had been lonely growing up as an only child.

"Well, let's go down to the study so Lady Lilah can start the tour."  Dawn led Buffy out of the room. 

Lilah's study was in the east wing of the house off the library.  Lilah was sitting at her desk going through some paperwork when the girls entered.

"Well Buffy, are you all settled?  How do you like your room?"

"It's very nice, thank you."

"You should let her redecorate, it's kind of blah in there." Dawn commented.

"Well Buffy, if you would like to change anything, we can arrange that.  I can have my decorator meet with you." Lilah offered.

"Oh, that's not necessary.  I'll only be in there 2 more weeks before school starts, and then just on weekends.  I'm more worried about decorating my dorm room." Buffy replied.

"Well that make's sense," Lilah nodded, "When we are in London getting your new clothes for school we will also get things for the dorm room as well."

"Oh can I come!" Dawn squealed.

"Oh course dear, we need to get your school uniforms as well."

At the word 'uniform', Dawn lost her excitement.  "I wish I could wear normal clothes to school," she pouted.  Lilah ignored her.

"Well Buffy, let's start the tour.  Obviously Dawn has helped you find the library and my study.  Let's start at the dining room and work our way from there."

The tour took over 2 hours.  Lilah started with the rooms on the first floor, showing Buffy the dining room, the ballroom, the parlor, and the commercial size kitchen.  She also introduced Buffy to all the servants along the way.  Lilah then led her outside to the grounds where they got into a golf cart to show Buffy the stables, the pond, the gardens and the tennis courts.  There was even an Olympic size swimming pool on the property.  Buffy couldn't wait to work on her tan.  She had to wonder why Dawn was so pale with a pool like that in her backyard.

They returned to the house and went upstairs, where Lilah showed Buffy her own lavish suites along with the rooms that used to be her fathers.  Lilah told Buffy she could take whatever she wished of her father's personal effect.  Lilah had not changed anything in the room since his death.  Buffy assured Lilah she would come to the room later and choose some things.  By this point Dawn was growing weary of tagging around and said she was going to her room to watch TV.  Lilah reminded her to be on time for dinner and continued to show Buffy the house.

Next they went to the upstairs entertainment room, which put Dawn's room to shame.  It was located across from her father's old suite of rooms.  The entertainment room had a pool table, a fully stocked bar, a pull down screen with lounge chairs set up for movie watching and an area to play card and board games.

"Your father and Ethan loved this room. Maybe once you start school you can invite some of your friends up for the weekend.  We have plenty of room." Lilah offered.

They then went down another hallway.  "This is your Aunt Drusilla's suite.  Hopefully she's awake.  She was napping when you arrived." Lilah explained as she opened the door. 

Buffy was shocked when they entered.  Drusilla's room was twice the size of Buffy's, but that was not the shocking part.  The decoration was what shocked her.  The walls were painted Pepto-Bismol pink with white trim.  The windows were light lace curtains and the furniture was all white, very similar to the furniture in Buffy's room.  The bed linens were white with pink flowers.  Two of the walls were lined with white shelves that held hundreds of porcelain dolls of various shapes, sizes and ethnicities.  In the center of the room was a small round white dining table, set for tea.  Sitting there along with four porcelain dolls was a lovely pale, dark haired woman who looked to be in her early 30's, dressed in a long white nightgown with lace trim.  She was feeding imaginary tea to a doll in her lap.  Buffy then noticed a severe looking woman with short blond hair dressed in a white nurses uniform sitting in the corner, knitting.

"Drusilla dear, I've brought Lizzie to see you.  You remember Lizzie, don't you?  Rupert and Joyce's daughter?  Look how's she grown!  We call her Buffy now.  Come say hello."

"The sunshine has arrived." Drusilla said in a sing-song voice.  "Ms. Edith, you must say hello to our guest."  Drusilla got up from her seat and twirled around, stopping in front of Buffy.  She then held out the doll for Buffy to greet.

Buffy didn't know what to say.  Her mother had told her a little about Drusilla before she left, implying the girl had some issues and that Lilah probably didn't do the best job handling them.  But her mother didn't say that Drusilla was _crazy_.  But Buffy didn't want to be rude, so said hello to Drusilla and Ms. Edith.

"Buffy, this is Maggie Walsh, Drusilla's nurse." Lilah motioned for Maggie to come over.  She eyed Buffy warily but took Buffy's offered hand to shake.  "If Drusilla ever gets out of hand while you're around, just call for Maggie and she'll sedate her." Lilah whispered in Buffy's ear.

They didn't stay long in the room.  Buffy noticed Lady Lilah didn't have much to say to her daughter – she directed most of her conversation at Maggie Walsh.  Buffy tried to make small talk with Drusilla, but soon found it was hard to keep up a conversation with her.  The whole time Buffy wondered where Ethan slept.  Surely he didn't sleep in here with Drusilla.  That pink would drive any man crazy!

On the way back to Buffy's room, Lilah informed her that they were holding a ball in her honor the next evening, and that they would discuss the details at diner.  She then left Buffy to take a nap.  Buffy tried to relax, but found it hard to in her new surroundings.


	9. The Ball

Chapter 9 – The Ball

Buffy sat at her dressing table, preparing for the ball.  Lady Lilah had sent up Amy to help her prepare, but Buffy still felt uncomfortable being waited on, so she had dismissed the girl, despite Amy's protest.  She had just finished putting the finishing touches on her hair when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

"Oh you look so gorgeous!" shrieked Dawn.

Buffy was surprised at Dawn's appearance.  Her hair was down and straight; she only wore a touch of lip gloss and no jewelry.  The dress she wore was a light blue satin gown with an empire waist.  The sleeves were long and the neckline was high for that style dress.  Dawn looked very pretty – but it was not what Buffy expected a 15 year old girl to be wearing, especially to a ball.  Buffy glanced down at her own heavily beaded Versace gown that Lady Lilah had brought to her that morning, and a the family jewels that had been presented to her that must cost a fortune.

"You look very pretty Dawn."  Buffy smiled at the girl.

"No I don't, but thanks for saying so.  I can't get glam like you until I make my debut next year."

"Debut?  You're kidding!  What is this, 1940?"

"Yeah, it sucks, but it's tradition.  So are you excited about the ball?"

"More like nervous.  The fanciest party I've ever been to was the prom.  Ethan coached me a bit earlier, but I'm afraid I'll make a fool of myself and embarrass Grandmother."

"Don't worry about Lilah, she is too excited about having you here to get embarrassed.  And all the guest know your American, so they'll understand."

"Thanks." Buffy replied wryly at the way Dawn said 'American'.  People were definitely not digging the Americans here. 

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

Ethan poked his head in.  "Dawn, its time for you to go down and sit with your grandmother.  Buffy, come with me, I'll be escorting you for your entrance."  He held out his arm to her.  Buffy noticed Dawn's face darken for a moment, but then the girl gave her a big smile and darted out of the room.

Buffy took Ethan's arm.  She was very grateful about how nice he was to her, but she was starting to wonder about his relationship with Drusilla and Dawn.  Hopefully once she got to know Dawn, she would find out more.

"Are you ready dear?" Ethan smiled at her.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Replied Buffy.  They made their way out of the room and down the long hallway.  When they reached the end of the hall, Ethan signaled to a man standing at the top of the stairs.  The man nodded and the music that has been floating up from below stopped.  Ethan led Buffy to the top of the stairs.   Buffy nearly gasped when she looked down.  There were over a hundred people looking up at her.  At the very bottom was Lady Lilah, beaming up at her.  The string quartet started again as Ethan led Buffy down the stairs.  At the bottom, Lilah took Buffy's hand and led her to the center of the room – all eyes following them.  Once again, the music stopped.

"Lords and Ladies, please allow me the pleasure of introducing my granddaughter, Lady Elizabeth Anne Summers Giles."

A murmur of approval went around the room, and Buffy stood frozen.  Lady Lilah looked at Buffy, and Buffy remembered she was expected to say something.

"I would just like to thank everybody for so graciously receiving me this evening." She smiled and curtseyed.  The room broke out in applause and Lady Lilah beamed.  She then led Buffy over to where Ethan and Dawn stood so the receiving line could begin.  Buffy wondered why Drusilla wasn't with them.  The girl had problems, but she was still family. 

Buffy followed Lady Lilah's lead in greeting the guest.  She could tell Lady Lilah had made an effort to have many young people attend, and she especially noticed what pleasure Lilah too in introducing her to Lord Liam Angelus.  He was certainly a handsome man, and Buffy promised him a dance when he asked.  She also met his sister, Lady Darla Angelus, and promised to go horseback riding with her.  There were so many names and faces, she was sure she would forget them all.  She was relieved when there were no more guest to great and she was free to move about the room.  At fist she was lost, not knowing whom to talk with, but then she saw Darla waiving to her across the room, and she moved to join her. 

"Elizabeth, please meet my cousin Winifred Burkle – we all call her Fred."

"Well hi Fred!  And just to let you guys know, I go by Buffy, not Elizabeth."

"What an odd name!" Exclaimed Fred.  Darla looked at the girl as if she was batty.

"O.k., _Fred_." Fred blushed.

"So Buffy, how do you like it here so far?" asked Fred, attempting to change the subject.

"Well I've only been here 3 days, so I can't really say."

"Will you be starting school this fall?" Asked Darla.  "Angel, Winifred and I all attend Oxford.  Angel's a grad student, and Fred and I are seniors.  Fred and I share a flat, and Angel rooms with some of his friends from the rowing team."

"Who's Angel?" asked Buffy, puzzled.

"Oh that's our nickname for Liam.  All the girls say he has a face of an Angel." Darla snickered.

Fred giggled.  "Angel is one of the most popular boys at school – him and Spike!"

"Well I guess I'll fit right in, everybody around here has odd names!" laughed Buffy.  "So who's Spike?"

"Trust me dear, he's not the sort you should be associated with," Darla said seriously.  "He is not in your class."

This made Buffy very uncomfortable.  She wondered what Lady Darla would think of her is she saw her modest home in Sunnydale.  Buffy wondered if everybody here was so snobby.  As she was pondering, Lord Angelus approached.

"Sister dear, what foolery have you been filling Lady Elizabeth's head with?"

""I've just been chatting Angel.  And _Elizabeth_ here has told us she prefers to be called _Buffy_."

"Well Lady _Buffy_, could I have this dance?"  Angel held out his arm to her.  Buffy accepted and let him lead her to the dance floor.  For the first time in her life, she was grateful her mother had made her take all those ballroom dancing lessons.  Angel was quite a good dancer and an attractive partner.  He didn't try to make too much small talk, and for that Buffy was grateful.  She wasn't sure what she would discuss with a man who was so much older than she.  She had never dated a college boy before, much less a grad student.  As Angel whirled her around she could see Lady Lilah looking approvingly at them. 'Oh no', Buffy thought, 'She's trying to set me up!'

When the dance ended, Angel escorted her back to Darla and Fred's table and sat down to join them. 

"Angel, Buffy's coming over tomorrow to ride.  Why don't you join us?  We can have a picnic." 

"That's an excellent idea sister, I'll have Wesley join us."

The rest of the ball went smoothly, and when Buffy collapsed in her bed that night she was exhausted and finally relaxed enough to sleep the whole night through. 

_A/N: Please review!_


	10. Angelus Manor

Chapter 10 – Angelus Manor

The next morning, Amy brought Buffy breakfast in bed.  Lilah had allowed everyone in the household to sleep in since they were so exhausted from the ball.  Lilah also had Amy alter some of Dawn's riding gear so that Buffy would have the proper attire for the riding party at Angelus Manor that afternoon.  Lady Lilah would be accompanying Buffy as she had business with the senior Lord Angelus.

Buffy dressed in the riding gear and went out front to wait for the car and Lady Lilah.  On her way down the stairs she was surprised to find Drusilla dressed and outside her room.

"Hey Drusilla!"

"Sunshine is off to see daddy?" Drusilla asked, clutching Miss Edith.

"What do you mean?  You know my father is dead." Replied Buffy, shocked.

"Oh no, daddy!" Drusilla started wailing and clawing at her face.  Nurse Walsh quickly came down the hall.

"What did you do to her?" She snapped at Buffy as she tried to subdue Drusilla.

"I didn't do anything!  She started talking about my father, I told her he was dead and she went nuts!"  Sniffed Buffy.  She was truly shocked by Drusilla's behavior.  She was even more shocked to see Nurse Walsh pull out a syringe and stick it in Drusilla's arm.  The girl quickly became subdued, and Nurse Walsh started to lead her away, but not before turning to Buffy.

"Best you leave her alone."

"I didn't do anything!" Buffy snapped at the nurse's retreating form.  Buffy really didn't like that woman.  Something about her rubbed her the wrong way.  She pulled herself together and went outside to wait for Lilah. 

To Buffy's surprise, Lilah pulled up the drive in a red convertible.

"Surprise!"  Lilah jumped out of the drivers seat.  "Buffy, this is one of your father's cars.  It's a 1993 Aston Martin DB7 Volante.  I thought you should have a car at Oxford, and what better than one of your fathers.  Jump in the drivers seat.  I'll teach you to drive on the proper side of the road on the way to Angelus Manor."

Buffy gulped.  "Thank you grandmother." She said in a weak voice.

"What's wrong Buffy?  You don't like it?" Lilah asked sounding hurt.

"Oh, no, it's lovely, what every girl would want.  It's just…I don't know how to drive." She confessed.

"I thought all Americans could drive!" exclaimed Lilah. "With your big trucks and all.  Oh well, that's okay; many young people of stature don't drive.  That's why we have drivers.  But we will get you lessons.  We'll have you on the road before school starts."

"Okay," Buffy said nervously.  She didn't think now was the time to tell Lilah she didn't drive because when she did she crashed into things.  Her mother had taken her out twice before they decided driving wasn't for Buffy.

Buffy enjoyed the drive to Angelus manor with the wind whipping through her hair.  The Angelus manor was as large and impressive as Pembrook, with a large redstone manor surrounded by gated horse pasture. 

"The Angelus family has a passion for horses.  They even own race horses." Lilah told Buffy as they passed the expansive stables.  Lilah pulled up to the entrance where they were greeted by a butler and shown into the drawing room where Darla was sitting with an older gentleman with silver hair and a kind smile.

"Lady Lilah, how nice to see you again.  Is this Elizabeth?"  The gentleman came over and kissed both their hands. 

"Yes, Holland, this is Buffy." Lilah beamed as she made the introduction.

"Such a pleasure my dear."

"Thank you." Buffy blushed as he kissed her hand again.

"Well father, let me take Buffy to meet the others.  I'm sure you and Lady Lilah have plenty of items to go over."  She led Buffy into the hall.  "You do know they are lovers." Darla whispered to Buffy.

"Get out!" exclaimed Buffy.

"Mm-hmm.  They've been hot and heavy lately.  We could be cousins soon." She smiled.

"Gross-much!  I don't even want to think of Lady Lilah getting hot and heavy."  Buffy shook her head, trying to remove the images.  Darla just laughed.

"They're old and they're lonely." She shrugged.

The girls walked out to the stables where Fred, Angel and Wesley were already mounted on their horses.  The stable boy brought Darla and Buffy's horses over for them to mount.  Darla quickly mounted the horse while Buffy stood staring at the beautiful tan horse brought to her.  For the first time it occurred to Buffy that she had never been on a horse.

"Need some help miss?"  The stable boy winked at her.

"Yes please."  Buffy smiled widely at the boy.  He pointed at the stirrup and helped her put her foot in.  Fortunately everybody was on the other side of the horse chatting away and didn't notice the boy helping her. 

"Up and over." He whispered to her as he scooped her up by her bottom and over she went!  He grinned up at her as she sat blushing furiously on top of the horse.  "Your reins miss." He handed her the reins, brushing her fingers as he did so.

Darla noticed that Buffy was finally ready to go.  "Scott, do you have the picnic loaded?"

"Yes ma'am." replied the stable boy.  "I'll ride ahead to set up."

"I'll lead." Called Angel as he took off, followed by Darla, Wesley and Fred.  Buffy had no idea how to get the horse to move and started to panic again.  Scott gave the horse a thump on its rear and she was soon following behind the others.  They rode across the pasture to a wooded path and into the woods.

"So Buffy, do you ride much?" asked Fred softly, so that the others couldn't hear.

'Oh no, she noticed!' though Buffy.  "Well, not that much.  I grew up in a town - you really only have horses in the country in America."

"Well let me know if you need any pointers." Fred smiled kindly at her.

"Thanks, Fred." Buffy smiled back at the girl.  They continued on the path for about a half hour.  Fred made sure to stay near Buffy and made motions on how to control the reins.  They eventually came to the other side of the woods to a small clearing on top of a hill.

"This is where we'll be picnicking."  Darla called back to Buffy.  They all stopped their horses and dismounted.  Scott was already there and took the horses over to a brook.  Buffy couldn't figure how he beat them there.

They all sat down where the food was set up and started eating.  Angel sat very close to Buffy.  The conversation was mostly about the upcoming school year.  Angel asked Buffy a lot of questions about America.  He confessed he hoped to travel there after he graduated. 

Buffy walked away from the group to the edge of the hill to get a better view of the scenery.  Across the valley on top of the opposite hill she noticed another large home.  She saw it had an expansive garage with many cars and motorcycles.   She chuckled to herself thinking that family stabled cars like the Angelus' stabled horses.  Angel came up behind her as she was observing.

"Who lives over their Angel?"

"That is the Martin Manor.  I went to school with their son, William.  He still attends Oxford, though I'm not sure what he is studying.  They are new money with no titles.  Look how they flaunt their cars."

Buffy couldn't help but laugh.  "What wrong with new money?"

"Nothing is worse than new money.  It comes with no class and breeding." Replied Angel.

Buffy looked away uncomfortably.  She was new money, little did he know.  These were not the type of people she wanted to be hanging out with – people who looked down at others.  She made up her mind to be polite, since they were friends of the family, but not to become close friends with any of them.  Hopefully she would make new friends at school.

.


	11. Dinner

Chapter 11 – Dinner

"Well did you enjoy yourself today?" Lady Lilah asked Buffy as they rode home from the Angelus Manor.

"Yes, it was the first time I've ridden a horse."

"Oh dear, why didn't you say so!  I just assumed you knew how to ride.  I was wondering why you didn't bring any riding gear."

"I didn't think it would be a big deal." Shrugged Buffy.  "The stable boy helped me and Fred gave me some pointers."

"Well I'll add riding lessons to the list of instructions we need to give you.  At least your mother provided dance lessons."  They pulled up to Pembrook.  "Buffy dear you have time for a nap before dinner.  I'm sure the riding tired you out.  I'll have Amy set out your clothing for this evening.  Lord Angelus is coming for dinner."

"Didn't you just see him?" asked Buffy, confused.

"I saw the senior Lord Angelus.  I was referring to Angel.  I invited him to dinner."

"Just Angel?"

"Yes, he asked me earlier if he could ask you out.  I told him it was a little soon for you two to go out alone, but I told him he could come for dinner." Lilah explained.

"Well he could have asked me.  I prefer to arrange my own dates!"

"Of course dear, he just wanted my approval.  And this way there's no pressure, you're safe at home."  Lilah couldn't believe the resistance Buffy was putting up.  She should be happy to have Lord Liam Angelus interested in her.  Her granddaughter really was a silly girl.

"Fine." Buffy mumbled.  "I'll be upstairs."  She went to her room.  The whole situation pissed her off.  She was very uncomfortable with Angel this afternoon and now she had to have dinner with him!  He never even mentioned it all afternoon.  And where did Lilah get off making those types of decisions for her!

After Buffy's nap, Amy came in with the dress Lilah had picked out for her.  It was pink and frilly.  Buffy couldn't fathom where Lilah kept getting these clothes from.  The ball gown had been so elegant, but this looked like Pepto-Bismol vomit.

"Uh-uh."  Buffy gave the dress back to Amy.  "You can take that right back where you got it from."

"But Miss!"

"Amy, take it back.  I will dress myself."  Buffy scooted Amy out of the room and shut and locked the door.  She then went through her trunks and bulled out a black spaghetti strap sundress with a long slit up one side.  She then found some strappy sandals to match.  She wore her hair down loose around her shoulders and brushed her face with a touch of bronzer.  She added a coat of mascara to her lashes and finished off her look by adding a coat of coral lipstick.  She was ready.

Everybody was already seated when she reached the dining room, even Drusilla.  Dawn and Ethan both did an identical eyebrow raise when Buffy entered.  Lady Lilah's lips formed a tense line when she saw that Buffy had not worn the outfit she had selected.  Angel had a look of surprise on his face but took time to let his eyes travel down her curvy figure, lingering at the tan leg that peeped through the slit in her dress.  The he remembered himself and jumped up to pull out her chair.

"Thank You Angel."  Buffy smiled at him as she was seated.  She sat between him and dawn, who was giving her an odd look.  Dawn knew that was not the dress that Lilah had picked out for Buffy.

"So Angel, are you excited about this being your last year of school?"  Ethan asked, hoping to distract the boy from Buffy's cleavage before Lady Lilah went ballistic. 

"Yes sir.  I hope to join the New York or Los Angeles branch of my fathers firm for a year or two.  Kind of like the study abroad Buffy's doing.  She was kind enough to tell me about L.A. this afternoon."  Angel smiled at Buffy.  She slipped her foot out of her sandal and ran if up his leg under the table while smiling back at him.

"Buffy, Lord Holland Angelus is a senior partner at the London branch of Wolfram and Hart."  Lilah explained.  "It's a very famous law firm.  Have you heard of it?"

"It sounds familiar, "replied Buffy.  "My grandpa Hank might have mentioned it.  He was a lawyer." Buffy explained to the table.

"We remember."  Lilah stated tersely.  How could she forget the man who helped Joyce take Elizabeth away?

"Do you have any interest in the law Buffy?"  Angel asked.

"Nope.  School really isn't my thing.  I'm only studying Art History because I spent a lot of time at the art gallery my mother owns.  I think I have enough background knowledge to get me through."

Drusilla started cackling wildly at Buffy's statement.  Everyone at the table tried to ignore her.  What Buffy didn't realize was that Lady Lilah was a stickler for women being well educated.

"Well Buffy, hopefully you'll be able to take a few business classes as well.  You and Dawn will have a lot of financial responsibility for the family one day.  There are no male heirs to handle the affairs for you."  Lilah explained.  Buffy hadn't thought about this.  She had barely touched the money she had inherited, but Lilah was right.  It was a lot of responsibility and needed to be managed properly.  She would make sure to sign up for a finance class and hire a tutor to help her with the math.

The meal passed quickly with everybody making an effort at small talk.  Buffy continued to play footsy with Angel under the table.  After dinner was finished she suggested that they play board games in the game room.  The elders at the table begged off, offering varying excuses, as Buffy knew they would.

"Cool!" exclaimed Dawn.  "I love monopoly!"

Buffy kicked her under the table and glared.

"Oh, but I forgot, I have to call Janice."  Dawn said quickly, taking Buffy's hint.

Everybody excused themselves and Buffy lead Angel to the game room.  He went over to the cabinet where the games were kept. 

"So Buffy, what type of game would you like to play?"

Buffy came up behind him and pressed herself against his back, placing her small hands on his broad and surprisingly well muscled chest.  "I'm up for anything," she whispered seductively.

Angel quickly jumped away from her.  "Buffy, what are you doing!"  He was very confused.  He liked Buffy very much and definitely wanted to get to know her better, but he couldn't believe how forward she was being.  This afternoon she had been very cool toward him.

Meanwhile, Buffy was laughing inside.  If Lilah wanted her to be with Angel so badly, she was going to give her what she asked for.  Poor Lord Angelus probably couldn't handle a 'wild' American girl, he was so stuffy.  She'd have him running from the room in no time. 

"Angel, I just want to get to know you better.  Don't you want to get to know me better?" Buffy cooed seductively while batting her eyelashes.

"Uh, sure Buffy.  I was just rather surprised, that's all.  I didn't think you were interested in me."

"Well come sit down on the sofa with me and we can get to know each other."  Buffy sat down on the sofa and crossed her legs, causing the slit in her dress to show an obscene amount of skin.  Angel sat down at the other end of the sofa.

"No silly, how are you going to get to know me from over there?"  She scooted over until she was pressed up against him.

"So Angel, what do you do for fun?"

"Well I'm on the rowing team, I'm in a fraternity.  I love to watch football, I'm a big Manchester United fan."

"Do you have a girlfriend Angel?"  Buffy ran a hand over his chest.  She was starting to like the feel of his muscles.

"Uh, no, I don't." Angel shifted uncomfortably.  He was getting uncomfortably hard and he was praying Buffy didn't notice.  She was a lady and he didn't wish to offend her.

"Well that's surprising, a big handsome man like yourself, with no girlfriend."  She ran her fingers through his thick, dark hair.  'He is handsome' she thought to herself.

"There are not that many eligible ladies in my age range." Replied Angel.  He had never met a lady who was so forward.  'It must be because she's American', he thought.  He had taken a tumble with many a commoner before, but never with a Lady from such a well regarded and established family.  'It would be the best of both worlds' he thought.  'Sex and someone you can take out and bring home to your parents.'  Angel let his lust take over and pulled Buffy to him and began kissing her passionately. 

"Oh Buffy, you smell so good." He whispered as he nibbled her earlobe.

Buffy was shocked.  She didn't think he'd take the bait, and she didn't think he'd be such a good kisser!  She was torn.  He was such a snob and she hated that, but…. He was sexy as hell and he made her toes tingle when he kissed her.  She decided to throw caution to the wind and kissed him again.  Her hands ran down his back and over his firm ass. 'Wow, he's built.' She thought. 

Angel was in heaven.  He let his hands explore her soft little body.  She had the most perfect breast and ass he had ever seen.  He pulled down the straps to her dress exposing her breast.  Taking one of her coral nipples in his mouth he started to suck it while rolling the other nipple between his thumb and forefinger.  Buffy moaned into his ear.  She was so wet for him.  She straddled one of his thighs and began to rub her crotch against him, trying to release her need.  Buffy then reached for the zipper of his pants and release him.  His cock seemed to jump into her hands.  She began stroking it in her palm.  It was now Angel's turn to moan.  His senses were on overload.

"Buffy, I need you now!"  He groaned desperately and started to pull up her dress.

"Lord Angelus!" a voice boomed out from the doorway.

The couple jumped apart.  Ethan was standing at the door, red with fury.  Buffy quickly pulled up her dress to cover her bare breast and Angel swiftly tucked himself into his pants.

"Lord Angelus, I suggest that it is time for you to go home."  Ethan said tersely.  "I'm sure you don't want Lady Lilah to discover you compromising her granddaughter in this manner."  He glared at the young man.  Angel was beet red with shame.

"Yes sir.  I apologize sir.  Lady Buffy, please forgive me for taking advantage.  I will be on my way now."  He rushed from the room without even looking at Buffy.

Ethan turned to face Buffy, who was standing uncomfortably, still holding her dress up. There was no way to fix the straps without exposing herself. 

"Elizabeth, your grandmother could have walked in at any time.  She may be naïve to what type of girl you are, but I am not.  I expect you to act appropriately and not shame this family!"

"What type of girl I am?" Buffy repeated incredulously.  "What do you mean by that!"

"You know exactly what I mean, " Ethan sneered.  "That morning we came to see you and Joyce in America you reeked of sex and booze.  You don't fool me, _Buffy_.  I'll be quite about this incident, but you need to learn to act like a proper young lady and keep your legs closed."  He reached over and pulled Buffy's hands away from her chest, where she was holding up her dress.  The dress fell down to her waist, exposing her breast again.  She tried to pull it back up, but Ethan's strong grip kept her hands down.  He then reached and cupped one of the breasts in his hand.  "Such you firm breast you have Buffy."  He took his hands off of her and looked her in the eye.  "Now cover yourself before someone finds you."  He walked out of the room.

Tears streamed down Buffy's face as she quickly secured her dress and smoothed her hair.  How dare he do this to her.  Call her a slut and then touch her.  Gross!  She felt disgusted and dirty.  Her first instinct was to go tell Lilah, but then she thought better.  Ethan was Lilah's closest confidant.  Lilah would never believe Buffy over Ethan.  She would just try to avoid Ethan.

All of a sudden, Buffy felt terribly homesick.  She missed her mom and her friends.  She wished she could call her mother, but she didn't know what to say, or even if she could hide what was wrong.  The last thing she wanted was for Joyce to find out about this.  As she was contemplating what to do, Dawn came into the room.

"Hey, I saw Angel leave.  Is everything okay?"

Buffy wiped away her tears.  "Yes, he just had to go home early."

"Buffy, what's wrong?  Why are you crying?"  Dawn came over and patted Buffy on the back.

 "Oh, Dawn you too young to understand.  Don't worry about me."  There was no way Dawn could know what happened.  "Do you want to watch some TV?" Buffy suggested.

"No I don't want to watch the Tele, and I am not too young.  Trust me Buffy, you need a friend to live in this house.  Let me be yours."  Dawn looked at Buffy earnestly.  Buffy wondered how much the girl actually knew, but she didn't dare ask.  She just smiled.

 "Thanks Dawn." She then pulled Dawn into a hug.  "I just had a fight with your dad about Angel, that's all."

"Are you sure?" Pressed Dawn.

"Yes, I'm sure.  Why don't we go to your room?  We can have a sleepover.  I don't feel like being alone tonight."

"Great!" Dawn jumped up.  "I'll get the popcorn."


	12. Oxford

Chapter 12 – Oxford

Buffy didn't hear from Angel again before school started.  She talked to Darla on the phone a few times and inquired about Angel during those conversations, but Darla stated that Angel had gone to London with some friends.  If Darla knew anything that had happened, she didn't let on.

Buffy made a very conscious effort to avoid Ethan.  It wasn't hard.  The house was large and he was often away on business.  Still, she locked her door every night.

Before she knew it, it was time for school to start.  Lilah had a small army of servants pack Buffy's belongings and take them to her dorm room.  They even set up her things for her.  Buffy's driving lessons had been going reasonably well, so Lilah let Buffy drive to school herself. 

Buffy was very anxious to meet her roommate.  The girl's name was Willow Rosenberg.  They had exchanged a few emails when the room assignments were mailed out but they had not been able to talk on the phone since Willow had spent the summer in China, traveling with her family.  Willow had told her that her father owned a software company and that they were from California, San Francisco to be exact.  Buffy was very glad of this.  She hoped they had a lot in common.  Cordelia had already started Sunnydale U. and was having a blast.  She was already pledging the top sorority on campus and had a new boyfriend.  Poor Connor.  Buffy really missed her friends, even Riley.  She'd have to remember to email him later.

Buffy had no problem finding the American dorm – Clinton Hall.  Her grandmother had told her how Bill and Chelsea had both stayed at the dorm as students, and it had been named for their family.  It was much smaller than the other dorms and near the edge of campus.   There were only four floors.  The bottom two were for the men and the top two for the ladies.  There were no elevators so Buffy was going to get plenty of exercise on the stairs.   Her room was on the top floor.  When she opened the door to her dorm room she found a red head girl was sitting on one of the beds, typing on a laptop.  She turned when she heard the door.

"Hi, I'm Willow, you must be Buffy!"

"That's me!  I'm so glad to finally meet you Willow."  She smiled at the girl.

"Me too, I thought you'd be here yesterday when all your stuff was brought in."

"Nah, I figured I just be in the way.  This is a really big dorm room; it's much bigger than the ones at Sunnydale U.  I was going to go there before I transferred here." Buffy explained.

"Yeah it is a good size.  Good thing too since we both have so much stuff.  You have a ton of clothes!" Willow giggled.  "So do you want to grab lunch at the student union?  Check out the other students?  See if us Americans stick out like a sore thumb?"

"Sure.  How's the food here?"

"Not too bad.  I ate dinner there last night.  But I'm starting to miss pizza.  Anya – she's in the room next door with Kathy – said she saw a pizza place in town."

"Maybe we can go there tonight?" suggested Buffy.

"Great idea!  Let's stop and see if Anya wants to join us for lunch."

Buffy noticed Kathy wasn't included in the invitation.  She wondered what was up with that.

Anya Jenkins was a nice girl, but incredibly blunt and upfront about her sex life.  When Buffy and Willow came to invite her to lunch, she was fighting with her roommate Kathy about her dildo collection.  Apparently Kathy found the top of the TV and inappropriate place for dildos.

"Can you believe her?" Any huffed as they made their way to the student union.

"Well maybe you can put them in your bedside drawer," Willow suggested.  "Easier to get to when you, um… need them?" She squeaked out, blushing furiously.

"Where do you keep your dildo's Buffy?" Asked Anya.

"I, uh, don't have any."

"So you just use your hand?  Or are you having regular sex?" Inquired Anya.

"Neither!" exclaimed Buffy.  Now _she_ was blushing.

"So how do you satisfy yourself?" Anya asked curiously as they moved through the food line.

"I don't."

"But don't you miss sex?"

"Well I've never had it so there's nothing to miss," shrugged Buffy as they sat down at a table.

"You're a virgin?" Anya exclaimed loudly.  People at surrounding tables turned and looked.  Buffy was mortified.

"Hey, I am too." Offered Willow, trying to make Buffy feel better.

"Wow, you two are cute girls, I never would have thought." Anya seemed genuinely surprised.  "I've had lots of sex.  Since I was 14.  I don't currently have a sex partner, but I'm looking.  I broke up with my boyfriend before I came here.  An overseas relationship really wouldn't work for me."  She explained. "So do you two have sexless boyfriends?"

"I don't." replied Willow.

"I broke up with my boyfriend at the beginning of summer.  I met a guy this summer who's a grad student here, but there was an incident and I haven't heard from him." Buffy explained.

"An incident?  What type of incident?" asked Willow.

"It's rather embarrassing." Buffy wished she never brought the subject up.

"Oh, now you have to tell us!" exclaimed Anya.  " Please!  You know the three of us are going to be best friends so you might as well spill your guts now." She smiled brightly at Buffy.

Despite the girl's bluntness, Buffy really did like Anya.  And Willow seemed like such a sweet girl. 

"Okay, what the hell.  What happened was my grandmother was trying to set me up with this guy and I was really pissed she was setting me up so I decided to have a little fun with him.  He seemed like a really fuddy duddy type, so I started coming onto him really strong to make him uncomfortable.  Well he responded and we started kissing and I realized he was really attractive.  Plus he was a great kisser!  So we started making out and my uncle walked in on us.  He sent they guy home and I haven't heard from him since." 

"Wow, that really sucks." Willow offered sympathetically.

Anya nodded in agreement.  "Maybe he's just scared of your uncle.  Maybe now that you're at school, he'll call."

"I hope so.  I kind of became friends with his sister and my grandmother and his father are really good friends, so it's going to be really uncomfortable if he doesn't."

Willow and Anya nodded in agreement.

The girls spent the afternoon exploring the campus and getting their books.  They went back to the dorm to catch a nap before going out that night.

_A/N:  Please Review!!! Thanks!!!!_


	13. Pizza

Chapter 13 – Pizza

_A/N: Thank you for the reviews!  I wish I could write faster, but I have a slow brain_. 

Buffy ended up meeting Anya and Willow at Willy's Pizza and Pub since she had to stop by the post office and mail pictures of her dorm room to her mom and Cordy.  She would have to remember to get a digital camera so she could email them.  Dawn had helped her pick out a great laptop and accessories, but they forgot to get a camera. 

It was hard to find parking in the town that evening so Buffy ended up parking a few blocks away from the pub. 'I should have walked like Anya and Willow', she thought to herself as she made her way across the street.  Buffy's feet were killing her.  She was wearing black platform sandals, not the best shoes for walking, but she had to admit they went great with her pink halter top and black leather pants.  She was so lost in thought about her outfit that she didn't hear the motorcycle roaring toward her.

"Buffy!" A strong arm pulled her out of the bike's path.

The helmet less driver slowed for a moment and smirked at her.  "Silly bint, need to watch where you walk."

Buffy could only gape at rider's rudeness and _beauty_.  He had the most piercing blue eyes she had ever seen, along with gorgeous sharp cheekbones, full sensuous lips and white-blond hair.  Before she could think of a response he turned and rode on, black duster billowing behind him. 

"Damn it Spike!  Watch where you're going!"

Buffy suddenly remembered that she had been rescued and was still being held by a very strong man who was now shaking his fist at the disappearing bike.  She looked up and gasped.

"Angel!"

"Buffy, you need to watch where you're walking.  This isn't America, you can't just go jay walking."

Buffy pulled herself out of his grasp and angrily pointed a finger in his face.  "You!  Where have you been!  I've been calling you for a week now."

"I'm sorry Buffy, it's just after what happened with Ethan, I thought I better keep my distance."

"Well you could have called.  I can't even imagine what you were thinking."  Buffy huffed.

"Buffy, I am so sorry, but I want to make it up to you.  We're away from Ethan's prying eyes, so now we can be together.  Buffy I haven't stopped thinking about you."  Angel ran his hand down Buffy's bare arm.  "You look so beautiful tonight.  You don't have a date, do you?"

"No." Buffy blushed.  "I'm just meeting some of my friends."

"Good." Angel leaned down and kissed Buffy passionately, his hand roaming over her curves.  "So why don't I pick you up tomorrow night and we'll have dinner."

"Okay," Buffy squeaked, flustered by the intensity of the kiss.

"Great, then I'll see you tomorrow."  He let their lips brush, and then turned and walked down the street.

Buffy stood watching until he disappeared.  Her heart was doing somersaults, and she couldn't say why.  When she first met Angel she didn't really care for him.  Then that night in the game room she had felt such passion… okay maybe it was lust, but she sure felt it, whatever it was!  But afterwards, along with what Ethan had done to her she felt so ashamed and she had problems separating the awful feelings Ethan gave her with the good ones Angel did. 

Buffy carefully crossed the street and walked into Willy's.  She felt a little weird only being 18 and walking into a bar, but hey, she was in England now and it was a _pub_.  She quickly scanned the room and saw Willow sitting at a table by herself.

"Hey Will, what's up?" Buffy asked as she sat down.

"Oh, hey Buffy.  Not much.  Just waiting for Anya."  She pointed across the room.  Buffy looked over and saw Anya leaning against one of the pool tables talking to a kind looking dark haired man with big brown eyes.  He wore a shirt with 'Willy's" on it.

"Hey maybe he can help her get a job here.  She's was telling me earlier she's been looking."  Buffy commented, though she new a job was the last thing Anya was looking for with that guy.

Anya brought the cute guy over to the girls.  "Willow, Buffy, this is Xander Harris.  His dad is _the _Willy.  He owns this place."

"Hi!" The girls said in unison.

"Ladies." Xander smiled broadly.  "I hope your enjoying yourselves."  Buffy noticed Xander had an Irish brogue.

"Very much so." Anya batted her eyes at him.

"We just got here." Buffy replied.

"Well, let me get you ladies a round.  My pop has a special brew I'm sure you'll love." He left to get the ale.

"So what do you think?" Anya asked the girls, expectantly.

"Very cute." Buffy replied.  She noticed Willow was being very silent.

"Xander said they have a great band playing tonight called 'Dingo's Ate My Baby'.  Apparently they're from Ireland and play here often."  Anya continued to chatter on about Xander.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you guys my news." Buffy interrupted.

"What news?" Willow finally spoke.

"I saw Angel and we're going out tomorrow night!"  Buffy squealed.

"Wow, how did that happen?" Anya had thought for sure Buffy would never see him again the way she described him running from her uncle.

Buffy relayed the story of her brush with death and subsequent rescue.

"Wow, a hot guy on a motorcycle almost runs you over."  Anya said dreamily.

"Anya, that was not the point of the story.  The point was a hot guy rescued Buffy from the evil motorcycle guy and that made with the smoochies." Willow argued.

"I never said Spike was hot." Buffy protested.

"Well you certainly remembered his piercing blue eyes and I don't think you'd remember his name is he was ugly."  Anya pointed out.

"Spike's an odd name.  How could you forget someone named Spike?" Buffy countered.

"Yeah Buffy, tell me another one." Anya rolled her eyes.

Fortunately for Buffy, Xander arrived with pizza and beer.

Just as the girls were finishing the food, the band took the stage.  The Dingo's were introduced by Willy himself as his friends from Dublin.  There sound was different… but Buffy enjoyed it.  Anya was in thrall over how cute the boys were.  Buffy and Willow were beginning to see that Anya not only enjoyed sex, but seemed to have a goal of sleeping with as many hot European men as possible.  After the band finished their set, she quickly cornered the signer and bassist.  Buffy and Willow hung back and talked with Xander.  He was extremely nice and Buffy liked him a lot.  But she noticed that Anya wasn't the only one interested in Xander.  Willow was practically drooling over him.  Xander didn't seem to notice.  His kept glancing over at Anya.  When it seemed he couldn't take her flirting anymore he excused himself, walked over to her and pulled her onto the dance floor.  Buffy found the move barbaric, but romantic at the same time.  By the looks of things, those two were going to be generating some heat.  But the look on Willow's face quickly confirmed Buffy's suspicion.  Willow had a crush on Xander.

"Come on Willow, let's dance."

"I, uh, don't dance." Willow blushed.

"Sure you do!  Come on, just follow my lead."  Buffy pulled the girl onto the dance floor.  Buffy started swaying to the music.  "Just copy me."

Willow watched Buffy and tried to follow.  Buffy's moves were a bit too sensuous for Willow, but she soon was able to tame them down into a rhythm that was her own.  The two girls were quickly noticed and had many men surrounding them.  Buffy favored no one; she danced around the floor always coming back to Willow.  Anya soon grew tired of Xander and joined them.  The three girls were breathtaking.

He watched from the balcony.  The sexy threesome who drew a crowd.  He watched one in particular. Yes, that was the silly bint who stepped in front of his bike.  The one Angelus held onto tightly.  He knew it was more than a rescue.  He had seen Angelus following the girl as she made her way down the street.  She was radiant and glowing as she danced.  Danced as no English girl would.  He wondered were she was from.  He hadn't heard her speak.  Earlier she had stared at him like a frightened child.  He shouldn't have spoken so harshly to her.  She was so young.  But her moves were sensuous, that of a woman who was sure of herself.  He wanted to go down, to get closer. But not with this crowd, and not until he knew her connection to Angelus.


	14. First Dates

Chapter 14 – First Dates

"Buffy?"

"Mmm"

"Are you awake?"

"No."

"Oh, okay, sorry."

Silence.

"Willow, I'm awake.  What is it?" Buffy grumbled.

"It's just that, well um, Anya asked me to double with her and Xander tomorrow night."

"Oh, so who's your date?"

"The bassist from Dingo's Ate My Baby.  His name is Oz.  I talked to him for a while when you were in the bathroom."

"Do you like him?"

"He's nice."

"But do you like him?"

"I don't know him well enough to say."

"Well a double date is a good, safe way to find out."

"So you think I should go?"

"Why not?  It can't hurt anything."

"Okay, thanks Buffy.  Night."

"Night Will."

Anya and Willow had already left for their double date with Oz and Xander, so Buffy got read for her date alone.  While she was putting on her make-up, the phone rang.

"Hi Buffy, It's Darla."

"Hi Darla, how are you?"

"I'm doing well.  Fred and I just arrived this evening.  I just called to see if you wanted to get a bite to eat with us and a few of our sorority sisters.  I wanted to make sure you got introduced to all the proper people."

"Oh, well thanks Darla, but actually your brother is taking me out this evening."

"Oh, he didn't mention anything to me." Darla sounded surprised.  "Well okay, you two have fun.  I'll call you tomorrow and maybe we can find some time then, okay?"

"Sure Darla, talk to you tomorrow."  Buffy hung up the phone and finished dressing. 

Angel had called earlier in the day to tell her that they were going to a French restaurant and that he would pick her up at seven.  He was right on time and brought her a bouquet of white roses.

"Oh Angel, they're beautiful!"

"Well so are you." Angel's eyes slid over Buffy's figure.  She was wearing a dark green sheer blouse that made her stand out and a black mini skirt that flared out from her waist.  Her legs were bare and she wore black strappy high heel sandals.

After Buffy put the flowers in water, Angel kissed her softly on the lips.  "Are you ready?"  Angel held out his arm.

"Yep" Buffy smiled at him and took his arm.

They walked out of the building and got into Angel's black Porsche.  They made small chitchat on the way to the restaurant, which was 15 minutes north of town.  'Maison Blanc' was a quaint country inn surrounded by pastures.

"Oh Angel, it's so beautiful out here!"  Buffy exclaimed as he helped her out of the car.  The sun was just setting, causing the nearby lake to glow as the last rays bounced off the surface.  To the right of the house was an extensive garden with more flowers that Buffy had ever seen in one place.  The dining room was in the back of the large white manor house.    It was a very exclusive inn Angel explained to her.  The dining room only sat 15 tables.  The lights were dim creating a very private and romantic atmosphere.

As they entered the dining room, the maitre d' greeted them.  "Lord Angelus, a pleasure to see you again.  Let me show you to your table."  He led them to a table near the fireplace and pulled out Buffy's chair.  After he told them the evening's specials and left them to decide, Buffy gave Angel a look.

"So you come here often?"

"Actually yes, this is one of Darla's favorite restaurants.  Father always brings us for her birthdays and special occasions."  Angel explained.

"Oh, after the way the maitre d' greeted you, I thought you brought all your dates here." Buffy joked, though she was dead serious.

"Buffy, as I told you before, I don't date much." Angel looked at her intently.  "When I was younger I did, but now I need to be more serious about the type of girl I'm with.  Casual dating just isn't my thing anymore.  I only spend time with lady's of the proper breeding."

Buffy squirmed uncomfortably in her seat.  Angel was being very serious for this being their first official date along together.  She had no idea how to reply to the statements he was making.  Angel seemed to sense her discomfort.

"Buffy, I don't want to make you uncomfortable.  I just wanted to let you know why I don't date much.  I also want to let you know that my intentions toward you are serious." He took her hand in his.  "I feel very strongly for you Buffy, and I just want the chance to get to know you better."

At this, the fear Buffy felt disappeared and her heart started to melt.  "Well Angel, I want to get to know you better too.  I have to admit I felt a bit uncomfortable at first, because my grandmother was pushing us together and I wasn't sure if we had anything in common.  And there is the age difference."

"Buffy, let's just forget about our families and concentrate on us.  That way we'll know if this if real, or if we're being pressured by our obligations."

"Sounds good to me, Angel."  As Buffy said this, Angel took the hand he was holding and gently kissed it.  "Buffy, you won't regret this."

They had a lovely dinner and afterwards Angel took Buffy for a stroll in the gardens, which were well lit by the full moon.  Angel promised Buffy that one weekend they would come up and stay at the inn so she could fully enjoy the Estate.

On the drive back to school, they made plans for the upcoming weekend, when Angel's fraternity would be hosting a party.  Angel walked Buffy to the entrance of her dorm.  They kissed for a few minutes until people coming out of the dorm interrupted them.

"I'll call you tomorrow."  Angel told Buffy as he gave her one last kiss goodbye.

Buffy went up to her room and found Willow was already home.

"So how was you and Anya's double date?" Buffy asked.

"It was fun.  Oz is a really nice guy.  Anya and Xander are really hitting it off.  We're going to York on Saturday.  Dingo's have a gig there.  It's only an hour away, do you want to come?"

"Actually Angel's fraternity is having a party this weekend.  I was going to ask you and Anya if you wanted to come."

Wow, we're all just social butterflies, aren't' we." Any commented, appearing at the door.  "I thought I saw you and Angel smooching on the stoop.  Was the sex good tonight?"

"Anya, there was no sex!"  Buffy exclaimed.

"Geez, thought a nice romantic dinner would get you some action."

"Is that _all_ you think about."  Willow grumbled.

"Okay, Miss Grumpy.  You're just jealous because I saw Xander first.  You had a perfectly nice date tonight who was really interested in you and all you could do was make moon eyes at Xander!  Don't think I didn't notice."  Anya slammed out of the room and Buffy could hear another door slam as Anya returned to her room.

"I was not," Willow mumbled.

Buffy wasn't sure what to say.  She had no doubt Anya was right.  She had witnessed Willow's reaction to Xander while they were at Willy's last night.  Buffy knew she needed to smooth things out between Anya and Willow if they were all going to be living in the same dorm and on the same hall.

"Willow, I know you have a crush on Xander."  Willow started to protest, but Buffy kept talking.  "It's very obvious, I could tell right away the other night a Willy's."

"It's that obvious?"

"Yep."

"Oh god, Buffy, what am I'm going to do?"  Willow plopped down on her bed.  "I know he and Anya are crazy about each other.  I don't even have a chance."

"I know it sucks, liking someone and they don't like you back."  Buffy went and sat down with Willow on her bed.  "But it's not like there aren't other guys out there.  And from what Anya's said, this Oz guy seems really into you.  Do you like him at all?"

"I do.  He's really nice.  And he has this great, subtle sense of humor.  I'm going to try and get to know him better and get over this silly crush I have on Xander."

"That's great Will."

"Well, I'm going to go apologize to Anya for acting like such a dork."  Willow went down the hall.

Buffy realized she hadn't had a chance to tell anybody about her date with Angel.  So she picked up the phone.

"Hey Cordy, what's shakin'?"

_A/N – Please review!!!_


	15. English Lit

Chapter 15 – English Lit

A/N: I know everybody is very anxious for the Spuffy to start, but trust me, working up to it will make it worth it!

Buffy floated through her first day of classes dreaming about her great date with Angel.  She was on cloud nine and couldn't wait to see him at his fraternity party Saturday night.  She tried calling him on her cell phone at lunchtime, but he didn't pick up.  She left him a message, letting him know she'd be done with classes at three.

Willow and Anya had very different schedules than Buffy, but they all shared one class together, Intro to English Literature.  The girls all met outside the classroom at two that afternoon so they could sit together.  The class was very large since all first year students were required to take it. The professor walked in and started the class.

"Good afternoon.  I am Professor Snyder and this is Intro to English Literature 101.  Due to the size of the class I will have to graduate students working for me as Teaching Assistants.  They will be helping grade assignments and hold group discussions on the novels we review.  The group discussion will be held every Thursday evening at 6.  Later I will be dividing the class in to groups, one assigned to William Martin and the other to Clem Roberts.  Gentleman, will you please pass out the syllabus?"

When the two grad students rose from the first row and turned around, Buffy gasped.  She would recognize that blond head anywhere!

"Buffy, what's wrong?"  Willow nudged her friend whose mouth was hanging open.

"Oh my god Willow, it's Spike!" Buffy whispered.  He was dressed in black slacks and a deep blue soft collared shirt.  'Wow he looks good. Oh, god, did I just think that!  Bad Buffy!'

"What?  Who's Spike?" Willow asked puzzled. 

"The motorcycle guy – remember his _piercing blue eyes_ that Buffy couldn't forget?  He is G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S!" Anya licked her lips.  'I wouldn't mind a piece of him…' she thought to herself.

"Anya, you are not helping!" Buffy hissed.  "Maybe he won't recognize me." Buffy mumbled as she slumped in her seat.  Spike was making his way toward their row, passing out the syllabus.  Unfortunately, she was at the end the row.  When he reached their row, he looked down at her as he handed her the stack of papers.  At first his eyes widened, but then they narrowed and his lips formed a smirk. 

In a low voice he said, "Fancy meeting you here Luv," and proceeded to the next row.

Buffy was blushing furiously while Willow and Anya broke out in giggles.

"Is there a problem ladies?" Professor Snyder was standing at the front of their row looking very perturbed.

"No!" Willow, Buffy and Anya replied in unison.

"Well since you three seem to find Mr. Martin so amusing, why don't we make sure you are assigned to his discussion group.  Snyder took out a piece of paper.  "Your names ladies?"

"Anya Jenkins."

"Willow Rosenberg, sir."

"Elizabeth Summers-Giles.  It might be under Buffy."

"Well _Buffy_, Willow and Anya." Snyder said snidely.  "We seem to have an influx of Americans this year.  Well ladies, you getter buckle up because you are about to be taught _real_ English Literature, not that bloody William Shakespeare you Americans are taught."  The professor proceeded to give and overview of the class.

Spike and Clem took their seats at the front again so Buffy couldn't see Spike's face.  She was sure he was having a chuckle over her getting in trouble.

When the class was over the girls practically ran out of the classroom.  Anya was laughing.  "Oh my, that was hilarious!"

"Hilarious! That was awful!  Professor Snyder has it in for us.  It's going to be impossible to get an 'A' from him."  Willow snapped at Anya.  Buffy kept walking, looking at the ground.

"Oh don't worry about getting your 'A', Willow.  Buffy her will make sure Spike gives an 'A' to all of us." Anya said jokingly.

Buffy spun around.  "Anya, It will not be like that.  In a few weeks Spike will forget about me and the whole incident."

"Yeah right!" Anya and Willow said in unison.  By this time the girls had reached the dorm.  Xander was waiting for Anya.

"Ladies." He greeted them.  He pulled out a bouquet of daisies and handed them to Anya.

"Oh Xander, your so sweet!"

"Nicked them myself.  Thought we could take a walk by the pond before I have to go to work."

"I'd love to.  See you guys later." Anya and Xander went off.  Buffy and Willow walked up to the room.  The phone was ringing when they entered.  Buffy went to answer, hoping it would be Angel.

"Hello?"

"Hi Buffy," a breathy voice said, "it's Darla.  Are you through with classes for the day?"

"Oh, hey Darla.  I just finished up."

"Great, why don't you come over to see me and Fred?  We'll introduce you to some people and then we'll have dinner."

"Okay, I'll be right over."

"Buffy explained to Willow where she was going and then she got in her car and drove over to Darla and Fred's.  On the way, she called Lady Lilah and Dawn and told them about her first day of school.  She also explained that she wouldn't be home that weekend.  Lady Lilah was upset at first, but when she explained that Angel had invited to her a party, she was singing a different tune.  She even offered to have some clothes sent, but Buffy assured her she had plenty.

Darla and Fred lived in a townhouse right off campus.  It was in a very nice, upscale neighborhood.  Buffy was surprised when a servant greeted her at the door.  She didn't think Darla and Fred would be so formal at school.

Darla and Fred were waiting for Buffy in the living room.  The houses décor was modern and simple.  Very different from Angelus Manor.  It made Buffy wonder if they had Pottery Barn in England.  When Lady Lilah took her shopping for school in London, she hadn't seen one, or a Crate and Barrel. 

"Buffy, it's so wonderful to see you again." Darla exclaimed.  She and Fred came over and hugged Buffy.  "The housekeeper will bring the tea shortly.   Let me introduce you to everybody."  Buffy then noticed that on the other side of the room three other girls were seated on a sofa.  "Everybody, this is a dear friend of mine, Lady Elizabeth Summers-Giles, but please call her Buffy." The girls all giggled at this.  "Buffy, this is Lady Katherine Taylor, Lady Josephine Etson, and Baroness Emily Pendleton."

Buffy greeted the girls.  They were all Darla's age and very dull in appearance.  Buffy could tell right away she had nothing in common with any of them.  The tea was served and they all sat down.  They all managed to make small chit-chat, but Buffy felt uncomfortable.  She also found it weird that Darla never brought up Angel, or the fact that Buffy had gone on a date with him.

After tea, Fred took Buffy on a tour of the house while Darla went over some sorority business with the other girls.  When they reached Fred's room, she paused.

"Buffy, I'm glad you're here.  I really hope we can be friends."

"Oh Fred, thank you.  I hope we become friends too." Buffy assured her.

"Oh good.  Buffy, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure Fred."

"Darla said that back in America, you weren't a Lady.  Is that true?"

The question surprised Buffy, but she could see Fred wasn't asking to be mean.  "I didn't officially inherit the title until my father passed away.  My grandmother explained that if I had grown up here I would have had the title.  It was just very complicated due to my parents' separation and my dual citizenship.  Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure Buffy." Fed nodded.

"Well, do people think less of me because I'm American?  Those girls down there were acting odd toward me."

"Well, that's probably part of it.  The other part is because of Angel."

"Because of Angel?  They don't like him?" Buffy asked, puzzled.

"Oh, just the opposite.  He is one of the most eligible men around, and they are all jealous of you."

"Oh, okay.  So how do you and Darla feel about me and Angel?"

"Buffy, we both like you a lot.  But I realize that there is a lot of pressure between our two families for you two to get together.  There's a lot of pressure in our circles to make the right match. Don't let that get to you.  Just go with your heart."  Fred smiled at Buffy. 

Buffy smiled back at her, but she couldn't help but wonder if Fred was trying to tell her something else.

The girls went back downstairs.  Darla was now sitting in the parlor with Wesley.  He stood as Buffy and Fred entered.

"Lady Buffy, how good to see you again.  Fred, how are you today?"

"Good evening, Wes." Fred smiled.

"Hello Wesley, how are you." Buffy greeted.

"Just fine.  I'm here to join you ladies for dinner." When he said ladies, he only looked at Fred.  Fred looked away uncomfortably.  Buffy was beginning to understand.


	16. The Party

Chapter 16 – The Party

A/N: This chapter is edited slightly to obtain a 'R' rating. Original can be found at my site.

When Buffy arrived at the party it was in full swing.  She found Angel with Wesley in the T.V. room.

"Hey Buffy, I was about to send out the search squad." Angel greeted her, kissing her quickly.

"I was running a bit behind." Buffy explained.  "Hi Wesley."

"Buffy."

"So, Buffy, do you want a drink?" Angel offered.

"I'll just have a coke."

Angel went to get Buffy her drink.  Buffy and Wesley stood in uncomfortable silence.

"So, Wes, how are things?" Buffy asked, trying to make conversation.

"Quite fine, thank you.  Have you seen Fred this evening?"

"Nope, but I just got here."

"Well, I think I'll go find her."  He ran off in the direction of the kitchen. 

Angel soon returned and handed her the coke.  He was drinking beer.  He took her around and introduced her to a few of his fraternity brothers.  She noticed that when the person had a title, he introduced them with the title, and made sure to use her title with those people. 'How pretentious!' Buffy thought for a moment. But then she remembered how sweet Angel had been and tried to remember that was the society he was raised in.  But she was also glad to see about half of the fraternity did not have titles.  But she ventured to guess they weren't normal Joe Blows.  It appeared you had to have money to be in this house.

While Angel was chatting with some friends, Buffy saw Fred near the kitchen. She went over to the girl. "Hey Fred, I didn't know you would be here."

"Oh hi Buffy.  I thought I would come check it out."

"Is Darla here?"

"She'll probably come later.  She had a date earlier this evening."

"Oh, I didn't know she was seeing anybody."

"Oh yes, she's dated Earl Lindsey McDonald for the past two years.  She's a very private person and doesn't like to talk about who she dates."  Fred explained.

"Oh, okay."  Just then a handsome black man walked up to them.

"Hi Fred, how are you?"

"Oh, hello Charles." Fred squeaked.  "This is my friend, Buffy.  Lady Buffy Summer-Giles." She quickly added.

"Fred, please stop introducing me with my title!  This is a party.  Hi Charles, I'm Buffy."  Buffy extended her hand to him.  He gave it a firm shake.

"Hi Buffy, Charles Gunn.  You can call me Charles, but most of my buddies call me Gunn." 

"Okay then Gunn.  Are you a senior?"

"Actually I'm a grad student.  I'm studying law."

"Oh, like Angel!" Buffy exclaimed.

"Yeah, he's one of my classmates."

Buffy looked around and noticed Angel was no longer where she left him. "Well, I'm going to go find him.  Gunn, Fred, I'll see you later."  Buffy went off to find Angel.  The house was very large and he didn't seem to be downstairs anywhere.  Finally when she reached the entryway, she saw him leaning against the staircase, talking to Wesley and drinking a beer.

"Hey Wesley.  Angel, I though I lost you."  Buffy grabbed his hand.

"Oh, I was just mingling.  Why don't I give you a tour of the house now?"

"Okay." Buffy agreed.  She had already seen most of the downstairs looking for him, but she went along.  Angel waved at a lot of people along the way, but they didn't stop to chat with anyone.  When they finished the downstairs tour, Angel took her upstairs.

"I want you to see my room," he explained.

There were several hallways they had to turn and go down to get to his room.  It wasn't much larger than her dorm room, but it was tastefully decorated in dark cherry woods and a hunter green drapes and comforter.  She peered out the window to see what type of view he had.

"Your room is very nice Angel."

Angel came up behind Buffy and started to nuzzle her neck. "Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?

"Thank you Angel." Buffy blushed.  He turned her around and began to kiss her.  She eagerly returned the kiss.  After a moment, he broke away.

"Do you want anything to drink?  I have a fridge up here?" Angel offered.

"No, I'm fine." 

Angel went over to the fridge and took out a beer.  Buffy had noticed he had several to drink that night, and was starting to get a little worried.  She hadn't seen him drink so much before.  She shook of her uneasiness and went over to him and started to rub his shoulders. 

"Oh baby, that feels so good.  I've waited so long for us to be alone together again." Angel led her over to the bed and started to kiss her again while rubbing her breast through her top.  Buffy responded eagerly, rubbing herself against him.  She was glad she had waited and not slept with Riley.  Buffy had never been so attracted to a man before.  Angel was exactly the type of guy she wanted her first time to be with.  She only hoped he wasn't turned off by her inexperience.

Angel's hands slipped under her shirt and unhooked her bra.  His large fingers began to rub her nipples.  Buffy moved to straddle his lap, reaching down and unzipping his pants.

She reached in and started to stroke his already engorged cock.  Angel pulled up her shirt and removed her bra so he could give his full attention to her breast. 

After a few minutes, Angel whispered in Buffy's ear, "I want you so badly Buffy, let me make love you."

Buffy pulled back. "Angel, I want you too.  I've never wanted anybody as bad.  But I have to tell you something.  I've never done this before."  She looked down at her lap as she said this.

Angel had a huge grin on his face.  "Baby, that's okay.  I'm so glad you told me.  It's very important for a girl to save herself.  I'm so glad to know you've been a good girl and saved yourself."  He pulled her into a deep kiss before she could respond, or even think about what he said.  As he kissed her he wiggled of his pants.  He then stood up and removed hi shirt and pulled off her skirt as well.  Angel stood back from the bed and looked at Buffy lying naked there.  He found the sight so erotic that he began to stroke himself.  His intense stare at her form made her start to feel self-conscious, so she started to shift in an attempt to cover herself.

"Buffy baby, don't move.  You're so beautiful.  I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself looking at you."

"It's okay.  I'm just nervous."

"Don't be.  I'm going to make it good for you.  Just close your eyes and relax baby."

Buffy did as she was told.  She could hear Angel moving about the room.  First he turned on the stereo.  Cold Play filled the room.  She smiled to herself at this – the other night at dinner she had told him this was her favorite CD.  Then she heard a drawer open and assumed he was getting a condom.  She wanted to ask, but felt to embarrassed.  Angel came back to the bed and crawled up her body and began kissing her.  He then turned her on her side and lay down behind her. 

"Oh Buffy, you're so soft and sweet. My good girl." He whispered in her ear as he nuzzled her neck. 

Buffy felt so safe in his arms as they cuddled.  She was so glad he was taking it slow, knowing it was her first time.  Then she felt him pressing at her backside.  It felt wet, which she thought was odd. 'Maybe he came on himself?' she thought to herself.  But then the pressing became more intense, and he moved his hand down, pushing into her.  Buffy screamed out in pain.

"Angel stop!  What are you doing!"

"Shh, baby, don't tell me you haven't taken it like this before.  How else did you keep that sweetness that you're saving for our wedding night?" he purred into her ear, never stopping his ascent into her tight orifice.

Buffy was now thrashing against the bed.  She had never felt such pain or panic.  She was sure he was going to split her in two.  And she had no idea what he was talking about, saving herself for him, their wedding night.  He had to be mad.  But no matter how much she struggled and tried to pull away, he wouldn't let her go.  He just pushed further into her.

"Angel please, stop it!  It hurts so bad, please stop, please stop!" Buffy sobbed.  He was all the way in her now and the pain was intense.  She felt a trickle down her thigh that she could only assume was her own blood. 

Instead of letting her go, Angel pushed her onto her front..  "Oh god Buffy, your so tight.  You feel so good."  Buffy was screaming into the mattress at this point.  She knew nobody could hear her with the music playing, but she wouldn't stop screaming, wouldn't stop struggling.  She wasn't going to just let this happen to her.  But she couldn't get him to stop.  The more she struggled worse it got for her.

Then it was over, and Angel's heavy body collapsed on her.

Buffy continued to cry into the sheets.  It hurt so bad she was scared to move… not that she could anyway with Angel still panting above her.  She tried to get herself together so she could out of this room, away from him.  She tried to stop crying, to catch her breath.  After a moment, with tears still running down her face she decided to make her move.  She pushed back against him, and to her surprise, he rolled easily off her.  She looked over and saw he was unconscious.  The idiot had passed out!

Buffy quickly got off the bed.  She grabbed his t-shirt to clean herself up.  Then she quickly dressed in her own clothing and ran for the door before he could awaken.  She stepped in the hall and wasn't sure which way to go.  She closed his door and a fresh flood of tears came to her eyes.  She couldn't believe this happened to her! 

Still crying, she made her way down the hall.  She couldn't see where she was going she was crying so hard.  She thought she heard voices behind her and was afraid it was Angel waking up so despite the pain she ran as fast as she could down the maze of hallways and crashed right into someone and fell to the floor.  The fall brought fresh pain to her sore bottom and she cried out.

"Luv, are you all right?  Did you hurt yourself?  Oh shit you're bleeding!"  A familiar voice said.  Too damn familiar.

Buffy looked up with a tear stained face and saw some familiar blue eyes.  Just when she thought this situation couldn't get any worse, here was Spike.

Spike equally as shocked when he found he recognized this poor girl. He gasped at her appearance.  Not only did the girl have blood running down her legs, but she had mascara streaking down her face and her hair was a mess.  This didn't all happen from the fall.

He got down on one knee and tried to help her up.  "Luv, talk to me.  What happened?"

"Spike, just leave me alone.  I have got to go home now." Buffy whispered, attempting to get up, but he stopped her.

"Pet, your hurt.  What happened to you?"  He looked her directly in the eye.  "Did somebody hurt you?  Buffy, tell me, did somebody here hurt you?"  He asked in a tense voice.  He had a good idea who had done this to her. 

"I…please, I have to get out of here!"  Buffy pleaded, looking behind her, afraid Angel would wake up.

"Okay, Luv, I'll help you get out of here."  He helped her to her feet and let her lean on him.  He led her down the back stairs and out the kitchen, where nobody would notice.  When they were safely outside, he turned to her.

"Buffy, I think we need to get you to the hospital.  My flat is right up the street, and my cars there, so I can drive you."

"I need …"

"Your not taking her anywhere Spike."  A voice came from behind them.  They turned to find Wesley and Darla standing there.


	17. Consequences

Chapter 17 – Consequences

The sight of Wesley and Darla was the last straw for Buffy.  Her knees gave way as she started to faint.  Spike quickly reacted and caught her, lifting her up in his arms.

"Spike, bring her to my room." Wesley directed to Spike.

"You out of your mind Wesley.  This girl is hurt and needs to go to the hospital.  I'm not covering up for your boy."  Spike growled.

"Spike, this is a family matter.  I will take care of Buffy. You can go home now." Darla came over and stroked Buffy's hair as her head lolled against Spikes arm.

"'m not leaving the girl." Spike stated, standing his ground, staring down Wesley and Darla.

"Fine, then tag along.  But we're not going to the hospital.  We'll take her back to my house and call a doctor."  Darla compromised, sounding exasperated.

"God damn it woman, she was raped!  By your brother!  This woman needs a hospital and to see the police."

"Damn it Spike, you know that's not how this works.  This is Lady Summers-Giles.  Her family is very close with the Angelus family, and my family for the matter.  We will take care of this matter _privately_."  Wesley stated firmly.

Spike was seething.  Every fiber of his being knew this was wrong, but Wes was right.  This was how these pansies handled their business.  He knew they wouldn't let it get out in the papers that Lord Angelus had raped a girl, especially this girl if she was truly a Lady.  He nodded at Wesley and Darla.  "Fine then, but we'll go in my car."

Wesley and Darla followed Spike to his car.  They got in the backseat with the still unconscious Buffy as Spike drove.  Darla made some calls on her cell phone on the way over.  When they arrived at the townhouse, Wesley attempted to pick up Buffy and take her in, but Spike quickly shoved him out of the way.  "I'll take her. " he growled.

Darla led them up to the spare bedroom where they laid Buffy down.  The housekeeper came to help her clean Buffy up.  They sent the boys downstairs to wait for the doctor.  Wesley and Spike stood in uncomfortable silence while they waited.  Finally Spike couldn't take it any longer.

"God damn it Wes.  I know you're a good man.  And you know this is wrong.  How can you take part in this.  The girl needs to be in a hospital!"

"Spike, you know this is a private matter.  Dr. Fitzpatrick is a very good physician and will take very good care of her.  How do you know Lady Buffy anyway?"

"It's a long story." Spike mumbled and turned away.  Finally the doctor arrived.  They took him up to the room, but Darla wouldn't let them back in.  The boys went back to sitting in silence until there was a knock at the front door.  The housekeeper rushed to answer and Spike and Wesley stood to see who it was.  Spike was surprised to see not only Lady Lilah Giles, but also Lord Holland Angelus.

"Lady Giles, Lord Angelus." Wesley greeted.

Lady Lilah stared coolly at Spike.  "Who is this, why is he here?" She asked.

Spike was very aware of who she was and how she felt about his family.   "Lady Giles, my name is William Martin.  I found Buffy and was taking her to the hospital before Wesley and Darla intervened."

Lady Gils scowled.  She did not care for his appearance.  Black army boots, leather duster, obviously died hair, and was that a scar above his eye?  He looked like a street hooligan.  But she knew who his family was.  The Martin's were very wealthy, far wealthier than her, but they lacked breeding and continued to marry commoners.  His father had been knighted by the queen, but that didn't count.  She knew William would have no concept on the proper handling of this matter.  He would have to be dealt with in order to protect her granddaughter's reputation.

"Well William, I must thank you for helping my granddaughter.  She means the world to me.  I must go attend to her.  I'm sure Wesley will see you out."  Lilah gave him a fake smile.

"Well, I'd like to stay to make sure Buffy's okay." Spike noticed Lord Angelus was staring quite intently at him.  Spike gave him a nod, which was ignored.

"Fine." Lady Giles and Lord Angelus made their way upstairs, leaving Spike and Wes.  The doctor was just coming out of the bedroom.

"Doctor, how is she?"  Lilah asked anxiously.

"She will be fine physically.  We have cleaned her up and treaded the area.  It will heal properly if she follows the instructions I've left her.  But mentally, she's quite unhinged.  She was very hysterical when I first arrived.  I've given her a tranquillizer so for now she is calm.  I've spoken with Lady Angelus who is in the room with her now.  I understand this matter is to be kept between the families and I certainly will keep this private.  But Elizabeth will need some sort of counseling."

"Thank you Dr. Fitzpatrick." Lady Lilah smiled at him.  "Don't worry, we will make sure Buffy gets through this."

"Yes, thank you doctor." Holland Angelus smiled and handed the doctor a thick envelope.  "We appreciate your cooperation."

The doctor pocketed the envelope and went downstairs.  Lady Lilah and Lord Angelus went into the bedroom.  Buffy was lying on her side, staring at the wall.  Darla was sitting in a chair beside her, holding her hand.  When she saw her father and Lady Lilah, she got up and went over to them.

"She's going to be okay." She whispered.

Lady Lilah went and sat beside Buffy.  Buffy was very pale and her hand trembled as Lilah held it.  Lilah brushed the hair off of Buffy's face and kissed her forehead.

"Buffy dear, are you okay?" Lilah asked, soothingly.

"Why?" Buffy whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Oh Buffy, it was a misunderstanding.  Holland and I have already spoken with Angel, and he is quite sorry.  He was very drunk, and didn't mean to hurt you." Lilah explained.

The drugs were very heavy on Buffy's brain, and she couldn't form all the thoughts and responses she needed to.  She could only whisper, "He hurt me."

"Sweetie, I know.  But the doctor said it will heal.  Everything will go back to normal, you'll see."

Holland walked over behind Lilah.  "Hi Buffy.  Don't you worry.  Everything will be okay.  Angel is very sorry, and he understands why you're upset.  He'll come over tomorrow when you're feeling better and apologize himself."  Holland smiled at her.

Inside Buffy's head, she screamed.  She thought she had heard Holland say Angel would be coming to see her.  But the drugs had won out and Buffy's eyes closed.

"Well she's very sleepy.  I'll sit the night with her.  Holland, Darla, thank you for your hospitality, but I can take it from here."  Lilah smiled at them.  Holland and Darla nodded and left the room.

Darla walked her father to the door.  He nodded his goodbye to Wes and Spike.  After the door closed Spike confronted Darla.

"So what's going on?  The doctor wouldn't tell us anything."

"Buffy going to be fine.  Her grandmother is going to stay with her. You boys can go home now."

"Go home… I want to see her, make sure she's okay.  When are the police going to get here?  Surely her grandmother called them!"  Spike demanded.

"Now is not the time for a visit, Spike. This is a family matter, between the Giles and the Angelus'.  There will be no police.  Angel has apologized and everything is fine now." Darla explained. 

Behind Spike, Wesley cringed.  He knew this was wrong but didn't know what to do.  He couldn't help Spike; his family had deep ties to the Angelus family.  Plus there was Fred.  He couldn't do anything to hurt her family.  He wondered where she was.  It was nearly three in the morning.  That was very late for her to be out.

Spike glared at Darla.  He knew there was nothing he could do if the families were acting like this.  It burned him up inside, all this 'Family Honor'.  Buffy was raped and Angel should pay.

"Fine then." Spike slammed out the door and headed for the fraternity house.  The party was over by the time he arrived and the house was dark.  He used his key to get in.  He was a member, but chose not to live in the house.  He preferred his privacy.  He had a flat nearby. 

Spike made his way upstairs to Angel's room.  He stood outside for a moment, contemplating what he was about to do.  He had always hated Angel.  They had been classmates way back in prep school as small boys.  They never got along and had the occasional scuffle now and then, but mostly managed to avoid each other.  Here at Oxford they had joined the same fraternity, both because their fathers were members.  They attempted to be cordial, and for the most part it worked.  They had words now and again, and secretly hated each other, but put on a good face.  But no more.  Spike didn't know Buffy, but he no girl should ever suffer what she was going through.  If the police wouldn't be able to make Angel pay for raping Buffy, he would.

Spike opened the door to Angel's room.  The lights were still on, but Angel lay snoring on the bed.  Spike closed the door quietly behind him.  He walked across the room and stood over the sleeping man.  He stared angrily down at his face before reaching down and hauling Angel's body up into a sitting position.  Angel's eyes popped open and he gasped in shock.

"Hello peaches." Spike greeted.  He then pulled back his arm and swung as hard as he could, the punch landing square on Angel's jaw.

"Ow!" Screamed Angel. "You bastard, I'm going to tear you to pieces!"  Angel bellowed, jumping out of the bed.

"I'll kill you first, Angelus." Spike growled and pounced again.  The men tumbled around the room, fist flying.  Some of their fraternity brothers hear the commotion and rushed in, separating them.

Lindsey McDonald, the president of the fraternity then came into the room.  "What is this about?" He demanded.  He had an idea about what the problem was since he had just got off the phone with his girlfriend Darla.

"He just came in and attacked me while I was sleeping." Angel shook his fist at Spike.

"Yeah, well you needed to be taught a lesson about hurting little girls." Spike growled.

"You need to mind your business Spike.  What goes on between me and _my girlfriend_ is _my_ business."  Angel tried to lunge at Spike again, but was held back.

"Okay boys, there will be no more fighting here tonight." Lindsey ordered.  "You are brothers and will respect each other and the codes of the fraternity.  If I see you two fighting again, you'll both be out.  Try explaining that to your fathers."  Lindsey turned and left the room.

The other brothers followed, taking Spike with them.  In the hall, they released him.  Lindsey was waiting for him.  The others left him alone.

"Look Spike, I know what went down and I know it stinks, but that's the way things are."  Lindsey patted him on the back.  He may be dating Angel's sister, but he still thought the guy was an ass.  "Just let it go man."

"I'm bloody sick of the shit." Spike mumbled.  He pushed past Lindsey and went downstairs and got in his car.  He felt good about the blows he got in before he and Angel were separated, but he still didn't feel it was enough.  The look on Buffy's face when he found her in the hall haunted him.

He pulled up in front of his flat and got out.  His neighbor Charles Gunn was outside saying goodbye to his girl.  That made Spike chuckled.  If the Angelus family only knew.

"Night Gunn, night Fred."

_A/N: Please review!_


	18. Recovery

Chapter 18 - Recovery

Buffy woke up the next morning in an unfamiliar room and a strange bed.  At first she couldn't remember where she was, but as she moved to get up pain shot through her backside, she remembered everything and started crying again.  Just then, Lady Lilah entered the room.

"Oh Buffy, don't cry dear.  Everything's okay now and taken care of."  She stroked Buffy's hair. 

"It hurts so bad!" Buffy sobbed.  "Why did he do this to me?"

"Oh Buffy, Angel was very drunk and didn't know what he was doing.  He's very sorry." Lilah assured Buffy. 

"He wasn't so drunk that he didn't know he was raping me!  Grandmother, he raped me in my ass!" Buffy shrieked.  "Why would he do that?  We were going to make love, but then he turned me over and…." Buffy broke down again.  Lilah held her.

"Buffy darling, I know you're in pain and I know it's hard to understand, but this was all a misunderstanding.  I spoke with Angel myself last night.  I wanted an explanation for why he hurt my baby.  He explained to me that he didn't want to take your virginity, so that's why he thought anal sex would be best.  He didn't realize you'd never had anal sex before.  He is very sorry Buffy, but really he was just protecting your virtue."

"You're siding with him?" Buffy asked incredulously.  "He raped me and your siding with him?"  Her voice steadily rose.

"Now Buffy, you just told me you were going to sleep with him.  So it was not rape. I will not have you ruining his family name with that rape talk.  Ethan told me about the incident in the game room and I have a good idea what you were up to in Sunnydale.  I'm amazed that you've managed to keep your virginity this long, but you don't have to have sex to be a loose girl.  Now Buffy, I expect you to act like a proper young lady and not some floozy."  Lilah stood up and smoothed her skirt.  "Now I understand if you no longer wish to date Angel.  There's several other eligible young gentleman I can introduce you to.  You will just be more careful from now on."  Lilah went toward the door.  "I've brought you some clothes to change into.  We'll go back to Pembrook today, and I'll have the car take you to school tomorrow morning in time for class.  Don't worry Buffy, everything will work out for the best."

During the ride back to Pembrook Buffy was very silent and looked at the window the entire time.  She was furious with Lady Lilah and was not going have any further interaction with her.  Buffy couldn't stop thinking about how Lilah accused her of being loose.  In her mind she was calculating how fast she could get out of this crazy country.

As soon as the car pulled up to the entrance of Pembrook, Buffy went straight to her room and locked the door.  She immediately went to the phone and dialed her mother.  All she got was her voicemail.  Buffy then dialed her mothers cell phone, but again, got voicemail.  She called back the home number. "Mom, it's me.  Call me as soon as you get in – it's an emergency."  Buffy then laid down on her bed and thought back to last night.  She started to cry again, trying to figure out how it all happened.  Everything seemed to be going well with Angel, and she was willingly going to make love to him.  Why would he rape her?  She picked up the phone again and dialed her mother, this time leaving a barely coherent message.  She needed to talk to someone so bad.  There was only one person who seemed to understand, to actually know the truth, and that was Spike.  A few days ago the thought of him being her only confident, him being the only person she could trust to know what had truly happened to her would have mortified her.  But now she thought back to his reaction to her in the hallway – he knew exactly what had happened to her and had tried to help her.  More than she could say about her grandmother.

Buffy grabbed the phone again and dialed her mother.  Voicemail again.  She thought about calling Spike, but she didn't know his number.  And she didn't know the number for directory assistance.  She tried dialing 411, but the phone only beeped at her.  She got up off the bed and drug out a suitcase from underneath.  She started packing all the 'extra' things she had left here for the weekends.  She certainly wasn't coming back here to visit crazy ass Lilah.  There were too many clothes and they all wouldn't fit in the bag, and she didn't know where Amy had put her other suitcases.  'Oh well,' Buffy thought, 'I'm rich now, and I can by new things once I get back to the states.'  Just then there was a knock at the door.

"Go away!" Buffy shouted angrily.  She was not in the mood to see anybody.

"It's Dawn," a small voice said on the other side.

Buffy sighed.  She didn't feel like company, but she couldn't ignore Dawn, it wasn't fair to the girl. Buffy opened the door.  "Hey Dawn."

Dawn smiled at her and walked in, closing the door behind her.  Then she turned to Buffy and gave her a fierce hug and whispered, "Are you okay?"

Buffy drew back and looked at Dawn's face.  She could tell the girl knew everything.  Buffy burst into tears.

Dawn drew Buffy back into her arms and stroked her back.  "It's going to be okay Buffy, Angel's a bloody ass.  But you'll survive, the women in are family are as strong as they come."  Dawn assured her. 

Buffy's sobs dies down.  "Oh Dawn, I can't believe I trusted him."

"You didn't know."

"Did you?" Buffy asked.

"No, I would have warned you.  But a lot of these upper-class men think they can take what they want and there will be no consequences." Dawn said bitterly.  "Especially the Angelus'."

"But why would grandmother let this happen to me?"

"Buffy, Lilah had no choice.  She's dating Angel's father, and if she were to let you press charges, the Angelus family would see to it that our family was ruined.  We have too many weak spots and the have more connections," Dawn explained.  "I'm sure all you can think now is that Lilah is a bitch, but there is a reason she's that way."

"I'm sorry Dawn, but I can't believe that there is nothing that can be done.  You just can't go around raping people and get away with it.  He should pay, and Lilah should have supported me through this.  I can't come back here.  I'm going to go back to America."

"Oh Buffy, I'm going to miss you, but I understand.  Hopefully I can come visit you?" Dawn smiled.

"Of course silly!  Right now you're the only family I have here." Buffy hugged Dawn again.  "Why don't we sneak down to the kitchen and get some food so we don't have to dine with Lilah tonight?"

"Sounds great.  I'll set up some movies in the game room, you hit the kitchen."

"Okay."  Buffy and Dawn exited the room, Dawn going toward the game room, and Buffy down the stairs toward the kitchen.  When she reached the bottom, Buffy heard voices in the study.  Whoever was in there appeared to be arguing, so Buffy went closer to see what was going on.  The door was slightly open and she saw Lady Lilah, Ethan and Holland Angelus inside, all looking very tense.

"Holland, I'm sorry, but something has to be done regarding Angel.  Buffy is in a very fragile state, and I don't think she can handle him getting away scot-free.  Especially seeing him around campus." Lady Lilah said, ring her hands.

"Lady Lilah, this is Buffy's fault.  Those American girls are known to be loose, and I've heard rumors about Joyce raising her in a hippy community." Holland smirked.

"Holland that is not true and that does not change the fact that Angel raped Buffy.  There has to be consequences to his actions, and I know for a fact that this is not the first time this has happened.  There have been rumors Holland.  And let's not forget what happened with Drusilla."  By this point Lilah was shaking with anger.  Buffy could see it from where she stood.  She couldn't believe that Lilah was trying to help.  After this morning, Buffy had felt that Lilah didn't really care what had happened to her.  And what was this about Drusilla?  Angel did something to her? 

While Buffy was musing over what was being said, she realized Ethan was talking.

"…was unforgivable, but we swept it under the carpet for the sake of the families.  Well Holland, we can't keep doing this.  We will give you a choice.  You either transfer you son from Oxford or we will press charges."

Lilah nodded in agreement, but Holland laughed.

"Now really Ethan, who do you think your talking to?  Nothing of the sort will happen.  You can't touch me.  You can't touch my son.  I will bury your family.  There won't be a _Buffy_ left for Lilah to fawn over if I bring down my wrath.  Do I make myself clear?" Holland raised his eyebrows to them.

Ethan and Lilah were silent.

"I'll take that as a yes."  Holland straightened his jacket and headed toward the door.  Buffy scurried behind the stairs when she saw him coming.

"Lilah, I'll see you at dinner tomorrow." Holland smiled at her.  Lilah nodded, tears in her eyes.  Holland left the room.  He paused to looked toward the staircase, but then kept walking.

Lilah started crying softly.  Ethan rushed over to comfort her.  "Lady Lilah, we tried everything we could, there was nothing else we could have done."

"God damn him!" Lilah wailed.

"Lilah, you know how much of a hold he has over our family, we are powerless.  We should have never pushed Buffy toward Liam, it only backfired in our faces."

"Ethan, you're right, I never should have tried to fix them up.  Then this would never have happened.  I can't believe he is getting away with this!  I had to try to do something; you should have seen Buffy this morning.  She hates me now."  Lilah sobbed.

"Lilah you did what you had to do to protect her.  Trust me, one day she'll understand and be grateful."

Buffy had heard enough.  She had to find out what was going on between the Angelus and Giles family and Dawn was the only person she could ask.  She sneaked back up the steps to the game room.

Dawn was standing in front of the stereo, sorting through some cd's.  She looked up when Buffy entered. "Where's the snacks?" she asked.

"I got distracted," Buffy explained.  "I went down the stairs and Holland Angelus was in the study with Lady Lilah and your dad."

"Get out!"

"Yep, and Lady Lilah and Ethan were trying to get him to take action against Angel."

"You're kidding.  So they finally developed some balls." Dawn was amazed.  She knew that nobody spoke out against Holland Angelus.  He was too powerful to mess with.

"Well, they tried, but it ended up with Holland threatening them and me."

"Figures. There's been rumors that he takes care of his problems by eliminating them."

"You have got to be kidding – what is this, the English mob?"  Buffy asked in disbelief.

"No, its just people with money can do whatever they want and Lord Angelus has plenty."

"Well, so do we."

"You and me yes.  Lilah and Ethan, not so much.  Our money was put into trust a long time ago and it is protected.  But the rest of the family money was almost totally squandered by your dad.  Lilah has just been able to build the fortune back up recently with the help of Lord Angelus.  He helped her from loosing the estate a couple years ago." Dawn explained.  Lilah didn't know she was aware of these things.  But Dawn kept tabs on everything that went down in this house.

"So is that why she dates Lord Angelus?" Buffy asked.

"I think so. I couldn't figure any other reason she would other than showing her gratitude." Dawn smirked.  "It makes sense why they didn't get the police involved.  Are you doing okay Buffy?  Is all of this putting to much stress on you?" Dawn asked worriedly.

"Thanks Dawn, but I'd rather know the truth.  I'm upset that Lilah's in this position, but I can't hate and blame her for what's happened anymore.  She didn't have much of a choice.

"Well, when you get back to school, stay away from Angel."

"Oh, don't worry about that.  I couldn't stand the site of him."  Buffy shuddered.

The girls sat back and watched a movie.  Afterwards, they went down and sat at the dinner table with Ethan and Lady Lilah.  Buffy could see Lilah's surprise that she showed.  No mention was made of Angel or Holland.  Everybody kept the conversation light.

After dinner Buffy went up to her room.  As she entered, her phone was ringing.

"Hello?"

"Buffy dear, what's wrong!" An anxious Joyce was on the line.

"Oh, mom, it's nothing" Buffy no longer wanted to leave, and definitely didn't want to tell her mom what had happened.  Joyce would just go insane with worry.

"But sweetie, you left all those messages and sounded so anxious!"

"Uh, nothing mom, I was just feeling homesick and really needed to hear your voice."  That wasn't a lie.

"Oh sweetie, well I miss you too!"

Buffy talked to her mom for about a half hour before hanging up the line.  Buffy felt much better after talking to her.  She unpacked her suitcase and went to bed early since she'd have to get up early to get back to school in time for her first class.


	19. Confessions

Chapter 19 – Confessions

Lady Lilah dropped Buffy at her dorm the next morning.   Buffy hugged her before getting out of the car, and she could tell Lilah was about to cry. 

"Don't worry grandmother, I'll be okay."

"You're my strong girl Buffy." Lilah smiled back through her tears.

Buffy went up to her room to grab her books before heading to class.  She was thankful that Willow was already gone, so she wouldn't have to do any explaining, yet.  Buffy glanced over to the dry ink board the girls had put on the door, where they left each other's phone messages.  On Buffy's side there were several.  Two from Angel, one from Darla and five from Spike.  Next to Spike's name was a big purple question mark.  Yeah, Willow was going to have some questions.

Buffy managed to get through the day without bumping into anybody she knew.  It was very hard for her to concentrate in her classes.  Her mind kept going back to what had happened, and sitting for so long started to affect her sore bottom. The pain relievers the doctor had given her weren't doing their job.

When it was time for English Lit, she was purposely late so she wouldn't have to sit with Willow and Anya.  She sat down in the very back of the lecture hall, and slumped down in her seat so she wouldn't be noticed.  She saw Willow and Anya sitting together further down, and saw the back of Spike's head in the front row.  When he got up midway through class to make an announcement about the T.A. group, she could tell he was looking for her.  She looked down at her books, so they wouldn't make eye contact.  She had no idea if he spotted her not.

He did.  He was relieved she had come.  He thought for sure she would be holed up somewhere.  'She must be o.k.' he assured himself.  But how could she be after what Angel did to her?  He tried calling her at her dorm room and even came by to see her.  But she wasn't there and her roommate didn't seem to know where she was, and he doubted if she knew what happened.  Spike knew he wouldn't be able to get out of the room fast enough to corner Buffy after the lecture.  He just hoped she would call him back later today.  He had left enough messages.

Buffy high-tailed it out of the room after class was over.  She was ready to talk to Willow and Anya, but she couldn't deal with Spike.  She went back to the dorm and waited for the girls.  They arrived shortly after she did.

"Buffy!" Anya and Willow exclaimed in unison.

"Hey guys." Buffy gave the girls a small smile.  She was feeling nervous again about confessing to them.

"Buffy, are you okay?  Your grandmother called and said you went home because you were sick." Willow asked worriedly.

"Well, something happened Saturday night that I need to tell you guys about." Buffy sighed. "Why don't you guys have a seat?  I'll tell you what's been going on, but first you have to promise not to tell anyone."

The girls nodded.  "Of course Buffy, what's said in this room, stays in this room." Anya stated solemnly.

"Well something bad happened at the party Saturday night."

"What?" Willow asked anxiously.

"Okay, well I don't want to get into all the details, but Angel, well he assaulted me."

Anya and Willow gasped.  "What do you mean, assaulted?" Anya asked.  "He hurt you?"

"Yes, he hurt me." Buffy couldn't bring herself to say exactly what he did.  She could see from the dark look on Willows face that she understood exactly what went on.

"So what does Spike have to do with this?" Willow asked. "He was calling here nonstop, and he was a mess when he came buy.  He really scared me, demanding to know if you were coming back.  I didn't know what was going on, so lied and said I didn't know where you were."

"Spike found me, afterwards.  He tried to help me."  Buffy explained.

"What do you mean 'tried'?" Anya asked.  "Why couldn't he help you?"

"It's complicated."

"Buffy, did you go to the hospital, did you see the police?" Willow asked.

"I saw a doctor, but no, the police weren't involved."

"Buffy, you can't let Angel get away with this.  You have to report him!" Willow was livid, thinking about Angel getting away with hurting Buffy.

"His family has a lot of clout, my grandmother tried talking to his father, but they ended up threatening her and me.  They wouldn't dare let anyone tarnish Angel's reputation." Buffy said bitterly.

It finally dawned on Anya exactly what happened. "Buffy, when you say Angel 'hurt' you, you meant he actually raped you?  Oh my god!  What, how could this happen?" She couldn't believe something like this had happened to one of her friends.  Anya started to cry.  She ran over and hugged Buffy.  "Oh god, Buffy, I'm so sorry."

Anya's tears brought back Buffy's tears.  But all Willow felt was anger.  She now understood what she saw in Spike's face when he came here looking for Buffy.  The anger, the need for revenge.  The thought that Angel could do something like this and just get away with it! 

Buffy looked up at Willow.  "Willow, it's okay, don't look like that.  I'm going to be okay.  I just need to stay away from Angel and I'll be okay.  So if he calls here, just say I'm not here.  'kay?"

"Sure Buffy, whatever will make this easier for you." Willow assured her.

The girls got themselves cleaned up and went to the dining hall for dinner.  On their way back they stopped for ice cream.  They all needed the sugar to keep them up tonight since none of them had got any studying done over the weekend.  Anya and Willow filled Buffy in on their weekend.  Buffy was glad to see that Willow didn't seem as jealous of Anya and Xander and seemed to be really hitting it off with Oz.

When they returned to the dorm room, Angel was waiting in front of Buffy and Willow's door.  Anya and Willow didn't react at first, having never actually seen before.  But when they kept moving toward the door and looked back and saw Buffy frozen in place, they understood.  Willow was the first to speak.

"Angel, you should be here.  Please leave." She said in a shaky voice.

Anya chimed in behind her. "Yes Angel, you are not welcome here."

Angel tried to give them his most charming smile. "I'm just here to see my girl."

"I'm not your girl." Buffy stated coolly as she snapped out of her frozen state.

Angel looked toward Buffy.  "Buffy, sweetie.  We need to talk.  Why don't we take a walk?" Angel walked toward her, moving to take her hand.  Buffy shook him off.

"Angel, go home." She moved to get past him, but he grabbed her wrist.

"Buffy, I just want to talk." Angel stated in a low, demanding voice.

Buffy tried to twist away, but Angel's grip was firm.  Willow and Anya were really frightened now.  Anya ran into the room to grab the phone, but just as she started to dial, Spike came around the corner.  He immediately spotted Angel pulling Buffy toward him.

"You fucker!" he yelled, "I told you to stay away from her!"  Spike lunged at Angel, punching him in the gut.  Angel doubled over in pain. 

"Damn it Spike, this is between me and Buffy." Angel growled and he swung at Spike.  Spike quickly sidestepped him.

"I believe the lady asked you to leave," Spike glared at Angel.  "And now I'm asking.  Don't make me ask again."

Angel sized up the situation, looked at Spike, and then behind him to Anya, who had a phone in her hand.  "Fine."  He looked over to Buffy, who was now pressed with her back against the wall.  "Buffy, we will talk later."  With one last glare at Spike, he walked away.

"Oh my god, Buffy!" Willow rushed over to Buffy and hugged her.  Buffy was shaking like a leaf.

Anya looked at Spike. "Should I call the campus police?" she asked.

"No!" Buffy pulled away from Willow.  "No cops.  Nobody can know about this."  She turned to Spike. "That goes for you too."

"Are you gaft?  He is not going to leave you alone.  Did Lady Lilah ever call the police?"

That took Buffy by surprise.  "How do you know my grandmother?"

"I was there when she arrived Saturday night at Darla's." Spike explained. 

"Oh, I didn't realize you were there.  The last time I remember seeing you was when we were going toward your car."

"Yes, and then Wesley and Darla showed up, and you fainted.  They wanted to take you, but I didn't trust them to see after you properly.  But they refused to let me take you to the hospital.  So I went with them.  But they wouldn't let me see you after they took you upstairs.  So I went to see Angel."

"You what!"

"I went and set Angel straight.  Obviously he didn't get the message." Spike glanced in the direction Angel had just left in.

Buffy blanched in fear.  Spike had to leave Angel alone.  She knew Holland was serious with his threats, and if this got back to him…"Spike, this is none of your business.  Thank you very much for helping me, but please, stay out of this."  Buffy looked him in the eyes, hoping he would understand.  She couldn't have his provoking Angel bring down Holland Angelus' wrath on her family.

"Buffy, I was just trying to help you."

"Spike, I know.  But it's been taken care of.  Everything's fine now." Buffy gave him a strained smile.

Spike looked over at Willow and Anya, trying to gage their involvement in Buffy's obvious lies to him.  They seemed puzzled, but it was obvious that they were supporting her.  "Fine Buffy, I will stay away from Angel.  I just wanted to know you were okay, luv."  He reached out to touch her arm, but she flinched.

Spike looked so hurt.  She didn't mean to flinch when he touched her; she was just still on edge from Angel.  "Spike, I'm sorry.  Thanks for coming by, but I have to study and stuff." She stared at the floor, hoping he would just leave.

"Okay, but Buffy, if there is a problem, I want you to call me, okay?" Spike asked in a soft voice.  His heart was aching for her.  He just wanted to help her, but it was clear she just wanted him to go away.

"Okay."  Buffy went into her room, Willow and Anya following behind her.  Spike just stared after them as they shut the door.  He didn't feel right about this.  Obviously Angel was not going to leave Buffy alone, tonight proved that.  And obviously those pricks over at Darla's house had convinced her not to press charges.  There was nothing he could do about that, but he was going to make sure Angel didn't get near her again.


	20. Managing

Chapter 20 - Managing

The rest of the week went by smoothly. Buffy attended all her classes and studied in the evenings. She had gotten very behind on her work, and there was a lot more of it in college than high school. The adjustment was hard for her. At least Angel didn't bother her – no phone calls, no visits. Darla sent Buffy an apology letter, explaining she was sorry for her brothers actions and hoping they could still be friends. Buffy still harbored anger toward Darla for helping cover up what Angel did, but Buffy remembered Holland Angelus' threats toward her and her family and thought it would be best to make peace with Darla. She met Fred and Darla for dinner on Wednesday evening at a restaurant in town. It was clear from the initial conversation that Fred had no idea what had happened.

"So Buffy, are you and Angel coming to Harmony Kendall's party this Friday?" Fred asked.

"Fred sweetie, I thought I told you Angel and Buffy were no longer seeing each other." Darla interjected before Buffy could answer. Buffy was relieved not to have to explain. But Fred kept going.

"Oh, no, you didn't! Buffy, what happened? Angel liked you so much!"

"Uh, it just didn't work out." Buffy mumbled and shoveled some food in her mouth so she wouldn't have to continue the conversation.

Darla decided to steer the discussion somewhere else. "So Fred, how are you and Wesley doing?"

This caused Fred to tense. "Darla, Wesley and I are just friends."

"Well dear, you know he wants more. He hangs around you like a puppy dog. And he's always at the house. And these days you rarely are." Darla had the look of a cat backing a mouse into a corner as she needled Fred.

"Oh, you know me. I'm always studying at the library." Fred laughed nervously, avoiding Darla's eyes.

Buffy could see there was something Fred didn't want Darla to know, so now it was her turn to steer the conversation to help someone out.

"So Fred, you're a physics major, right? That sounds so hard. I'll definitely have to get you to help me with my math homework."

"Oh sure Buffy, anytime." Fred started to ramble on about some new physics theory while Darla and Buffy pretended to know what she was talking about.

----

On Monday and Wednesday Buffy had been able to get through English Lit okay. She sat with Anya and Willow near the back of the class and luckily, Professor Snyder had lectured solidly the whole hour, leaving no room for interaction with Spike. She was too wigged about the confrontation at her dorm with him and Angel to deal with seeing Spike. But Thursday evening was the first group discussions with the Teach Assistants, and Buffy would have to finally face Spike. For some reason, the thought of seeing him made her so nervous that she could barely eat dinner that night.

"Buffy, why aren't' you eating?" Willow asked. "You've barely touched anything on your plate."

"It's because she's nervous about seeing Spike!" Anya teased.

"I am not!" Buffy exclaimed, thinking 'how'd she know?' Buffy looked over at Anya, "It's just weird, after the other night."

"It's weird because he obviously ha a thing for you." Anya snickered.

"Anya, he was just helping her." Willow patted Buffy on the arm. "It will be okay, just act like nothing happened and you're a regular student and he's your friendly neighborhood T.A."

"Her gorgeous, studly, rescue a damsel in distress T.A."

"Anya!" Buffy exclaimed. How Xander ever put up with this girl was beyond her. Anya just said what ever she thought at the moment.

----

Only a few students had arrived when the girls entered the classroom.. It was a very small room with only about 20 desks, which were set up in a U shape, facing the teacher's desk. The girls grabbed three seats together near one end of the U. Students trickled in, filling all the seats before Spike arrived. When he finally did arrive, five minutes late, he came in wearing his black duster, blue jeans, black t-shirt, and combat boots. His standard 'uniform'. But one thing was different. He was wearing glasses. Wire glasses that he kept shoving up his nose. It made him look oddly academic.

Spike went over to the teacher's desk in the front and set down the books he was carrying. He shrugged off the duster and tossed it over the chair. He picked up his notebook and turned to the class.

"So, has anyone actually done the assigned reading?" he said with a smirk.

A few hands, including Willows shot up. Both Buffy and Anya had purchased the Cliff Notes from the bookstore.

"Well, let me assure you, it is required, and you will not be able to pass Professor Snyder's class using _Cliff Notes_." The last part he said with obvious disdain. "First, before we start, let me take roll. This will be done every week. You may skip lecture, but not the discussion groups. Missing a group without a note from the dean will result in immediate failure of the class. When I call your name, please raise your hand."

Spike proceeded to call the roll. When he called Buffy's name, she raised her hand, but didn't raise her eyes to him. He paused for a second, seemingly waiting, and went on. Willow and Anya watched Buffy shift uncomfortably in her seat, but still she didn't look up. They were shocked. They knew she was nervous, but Spike was the T.A., and you couldn't avoid looking at him.

"Well for those of you who have not even bothered with the Cliff Notes, let me remind you that the first book of the semester is Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen. And yes there is the BBC movie, and yes, there is Bridge Jones' Diary, but neither will suffice for reading the book. You should have read up to page 125. Has anyone already finished the book?"

Only Willow raised her hand.

"Willow, you finished the book?" Spike asked, surprised.

"Well, I've read it before sir."

"Please, we will not be so formal here. Call me Spike. So are you re-reading it now, or will you rely on memory?"

"I'm re-reading it."

"Excellent Willow. So why don't you start us off this evening. Why do you think that Elizabeth is never jealous of her sister Jane, despite Jan being their mother's obvious favorite?"

So, the discussion began, with Willow voicing her opinion, others raising their hands to contribute, and Spike calling out questions, selecting people to answer when no one volunteered. Buffy never raised her hand, and Spike never called on Buffy. In fact, Buffy never even looked up, she just doodled on her notebook the entire class. Willow was shocked at how she was acting, and tried to give her a nudge to get her to at least look like she was paying attention. But Buffy just continued to doodle.

"All right, I think you guys are really getting to understand the underlying meanings in the story. You should be finished with the book next week and will wrap up the discussion then. Have a good night." Spike started to gather his things while the class exited. Buffy had already gathered her things and was on her way out the door, way ahead of Anya and Willow.

"Ms. Summers, can I see you for a moment." Spike called out to her. Buffy froze and turned around. Willow mouthed to her – "We'll be outside."

Spike had his back to Buffy and didn't run around until the room was empty. When he did turn, Buffy was staring at the floor.

"Buffy, I can see this is very uncomfortable for you." Spike looked at her, waiting for a response, but Buffy said nothing, still looking at the floor, and nervously chewing her lip.

"Buffy, I feel uncomfortable too. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to act around you." Again, he waited for a response. Buffy was still looking at the floor. He noticed water at her feat and wondered how it got there, but was to upset about her lack of a response to ponder further.

"Blood hell woman, I feel like I'm talking to a wall! Can you at lease look at me?" Spike practically shouted.

This caused Buffy to jump, and she looked up at Spike with a tear stained face. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "I don't know what you want from me and I am having a really hard time dealing." She looked down at the floor again.

"Buffy, luv, I'm sorry I shouted at you. I just want to help you." Spike reached out to hug her, but she shook him off. "Okay, Buffy, I can see you really don't want my help. I'm going to back off, okay?"

"Fine." Buffy wiped her tears and turned around. She really didn't want this, but felt she had no other choice.

"I'll just pretend the whole thing never happened." He muttered to himself. She heard and turned around and stared at him. He met here gaze. Buffy was uncomfortable with the intensity of the look and his eyes, but she couldn't look away. Something about him made her feel so strange, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Finally, Spike spoke. "Are you going to be okay in this class Buffy? Do you want me to switch you to one of Clem's?"

"No, I'll be fine."

"Right then. Well do the reading, okay? I'm sure your friend Red can help you out."

"How do you know I didn't do the reading?" Buffy asked, miffed.

"Are you denying it?" Spike smirked.

"Fine, I'll see you next week Spike." Buffy went out into the hall where Anya and Willow were waiting for her.

"So what happened?" Anya asked, dieing of curiosity.

"Nothing, let's get going. I need to actually read this book, and so do you Anya." Buffy replied, brushing off her question.

Willow and Anya just looked at each other and followed behind Buffy. When they reached the end of the hall, Willow glanced over her shoulder as they turned the corner and saw Spike was standing outside the classroom door, staring after them.


	21. Ladies Night

Chapter 21 – Ladies Night

On Friday night, the girls all went to Willy's to see 'Dingo's Ate My Baby!' perform. Xander wasn't working that night, so he sat with the girls.

"So Buffster, glad to see your actually hanging with us tonight. Anya told me you were hanging out with some Frat boys last weekend." Anya quickly elbowed Xander. "Ouch! What I do!"

"Well not tonight. Willow's been raving about the new song Oz wrote, so I figured I better come down here and check it out." Buffy smiled. She was not going to let any memories of Angel ruin this evening. She was feeling truly relaxed and calm fort the first time all week and she was going to enjoy herself.

Buffy and Willow went over to the pool tables and set their coins down for the next game. Buffy thought the guys playing looked familiar, so she went over to one of them and said, "Have we met?"

"Yeah, your Fred's friend. Betty, right?"

"Actually it's Buffy."

"My bad. I'm Gunn."

"Oh, yes, I remember, from the party last week."

"Yep, so are you here with Fred?" he asked.

"No, I don't think this is Fred's type of place." Buffy laughed.

"You'd be surprised. Fred plays a mean game of pool."

"Really? Well I'll have to invite her down here sometime." Buffy then remembered where she had seen the hairless white guy Gunn was playing with. "Hey Willow, look, it's Clem, from Professor Snyder's class. He's the other T.A."

"Hey ladies!" Clem waived at them before taking his shot.

"So would you ladies like to partner up and play the next round with us?" Gunn asked.

"Sure." Buffy and Willow replied.

After they were done playing, Gunn invited them to a party he was having on Saturday. Willow and Buffy promised to come and asked if they could bring some friends.

"No problem, the more the merrier. See you tomorrow." Gunn and Clem went to sit at the bar.

Buffy and Willow went back and joined Xander and Anya at their table. Oz was on break and sat down as well. They told everybody about the party invite.

"Oh, I know Gunn. He's cool." Oz grabbed his beer and drained it. "Okay babe, I have another set." He kissed Willow on the forehead and went back on stage.

Buffy went to find the ladies room and found there was a really long line. She really had to go so she waited. While she was waiting the conversation of some girls in front of her caught her attention.

"… after that. Cecily, your crazy if you don't. William has wanted you for years. _Years._ And now, with your families financial situation, you need to think about your future."

"I know Kennedy. But it's William! He's beneath me." The curly haired girl wrinkled her nose up with her distaste.

"But he's rich. Far richer than your family ever was. And he's changed a lot. He's not that same nerdy boy he was at Brighton. He's actually quite attractive now." The dark haired girl who was Kennedy giggled.

"That's all an act, you know that nerdy little boy is still in there. I don't know if I could bear listening to his bloody awful poems." This caused Kennedy to snicker. Buffy wondered who they were talking about and how could these girls be so shallow. They must be some big time ho's if they would actually go after a guy for his money. Buffy looked at the girl named Cecily. She was cute, but she wasn't all that. And the one named Kennedy, she was pretty as well, but there was something off about the way she looked at Cecily, it was like…'oh never mind' Buffy thought to herself.

Finally there was a free stall. When Buffy finished, she went back to the table only to find Willow and Anya were on the dance floor. Buffy went and joined them. As she was dancing she looked up toward the balcony, which she hadn't really noticed before. She gasped at what she saw. Angel was leaning on the railing, next to a pretty blond girl. He began to whisper something in the girl's ear that made her laugh. Buffy shuddered thinking about what that girl was in for. She tried to keep dancing, but Angel being there was too distracting. She went and sat back at the table and sipped on her coke. The more she thought about Angel, the more knots her stomach formed. Then Buffy noticed that the girl Angel had been talking with had come down the stairs and was headed to the bathrooms. Buffy jumped up and followed her. There was still a line for the bathroom, so Buffy got in line behind her.

"Hi." She smiled at the girl.

"Uh, hi," the pretty blond replied, looking a little surprised that this stranger was talking to her.

"I saw that your here with Angel."

"Yeah, and?" The girl visibly tensed, wondering what was up.

"I just wanted to warn you to be careful around him." Buffy stated earnestly.

"Why would I need to be careful around my _boyfriend_?" the girl asked, hands on hips.

"Your boyfriend?" Buffy sputtered, shocked.

"Yes, _my _boyfriend of the past two years." The girl said smugly. "Who are you anyway? How do you know Angel?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Uh, never mind." Buffy mumbled, stepping back.

"Hey, wait!" The girl grabbed Buffy's arm. "You're the one who started this – now finish it," she looked angrily at Buffy, "What's your problem with Angel?"

Buffy wrenched her arm free and turn to run away, cursing herself for getting herself in this situation, but instead of getting away, she ran smack into Angel.

"Well hello Buffy. I see you've met my girlfriend, Nina." Angel smiled at her.

Buffy let out a sound that was a mix between a gasp and a whimper. She had to get away now, before she totally freaked.

Angel appeared to take no notice of Buffy's discomfort. "Nina, this is Buffy. Her grandmother is a very close friend of my father. Our families are _very_ close." Angel was still smiling at Buffy, but had now wrapped his arm around Nina.

Nina was still eyeing Buffy suspiciously, but played nice. "Hello Buffy." She said coolly.

By this point, Buffy was shaking.

"Buffy, is something wrong?" Angel asked, sounding very concerned. "Do you want to go back to our table with us and sit down? I can get you something to drink." He offered and started to reach for Buffy's arm to guide her. Buffy jumped back.

"I have to go." She turned and ran out of Willy's. She kept running until she was a couple blocks away. She found herself at a small park. She sat down on one of the benches and started to cry. She felt so stupid. Not only did Angel rape her, he had a girlfriend the whole time he was seeing her. He degraded her and used her in every way possible, and it was still going on. She didn't think she could handle this anymore.

A hand touched Buffy's shoulder and she screamed and jumped up. As she jumped, it flashed through her mind how stupid it was to be sitting alone at night in a park. She turned to see who had touched her. It was Spike.

"Buffy, what's wrong? What are you doing out here?" Spike. He was beginning to think this girl wasn't the brightest bulb in the bunch. Sitting out here was just asking for trouble.

"Spike, you scared the crap out of me!" Buffy wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.

"Your lucky it was me and not Jack the Ripper! Why are you out here all alone? And why are you crying?" He reached out and wiped away a tear she had missed.

"It's nothing. I'll go home now." Buffy started to walk away, embarrassed that he caught her at her lowest low again.

Spike started after her. "Luv, it's not safe for you to walk alone. I'll walk you back."

"I'm fine Spike. I'll be just fine."

"I'm not letting you walk by yourself." He stated firmly.

"Fine, let's go." She said, exasperated.

They walked in silence for a while. Finally Spike couldn't take it any more.

"Buffy, what happened?"

"Nothing." She said softly.

He stopped and gently pulled at her arm, bringing her to a stop. "Buffy, I want you to trust me. I want you can tell me luv, you can tell me anything." He reached out and gently stroked her cheek with one finger.

Buffy sighed. She didn't want to admit how silly she had been, but she realized Spike may be thinking something worse had happened. And he seemed so sincere, with his head tilted, looking at her so kindly, yet so intently.

"It was Angel, he..."

"What did he do now?" Spike almost growled out.

"Well, I kind of started it. I saw him with a girl over at Willy's. And when she went to the ladies room, I went after her to warn her about him, but it turned out she was his girlfriend."

"Oh, Nina." Spike hadn't realized Buffy didn't know about Nina. He should have figured though. Why else would she let herself go up to Angel's room, unless she thought he was truly interested in only her. Buffy didn't seem like the type of girl who would mess with another girl's bloke.

"So you knew." Buffy sighed. "Well I didn't. And then when I was trying to save face and leave, Angel showed up and started introducing me to her as a _family friend_." Buffy shuddered. "I just freaked and ran. I ended up in the park you found me in. I just was feeling so stupid!"

"Buffy, there's no reason to feel stupid." Spike pulled her to him and stroked her hair. She felt so good in his arms and smelled so sweet.

Buffy let him hold her for a few moments, relishing the feel of his strong arms, and the comfort of being so close to someone. But then she pulled away.

"Spike, I should feel stupid. I went up to his room willingly. I thought he was really interested in me. Even if he didn't… well, he still would have just used me."

"The road to love is a learning process. Hit or miss. Sometimes you just have to accept the misses and move on." Spike paused a moment, as if contemplating something. "Angel is a right stupid bloke. Always has been. You just need to move on luv. Plenty of men would be right lucky to have you."

"But how can I move on Spike? I don't think I can ever trust another guy again."

Spike felt terrible for her. He had to admit he understood. He had been through heartache before. But he had to give her hope. "You'll learn, just give it time." He squeezed her hand and smiled at her. Buffy smiled back and they started walking again. They reached her dorm shortly.

"Well, ta luv."

"See you Spike. And thanks." Buffy hugged him quickly and ran into the dorm.

Spike looked after her for a moment before heading back to town.

When Buffy reached her room, Willow was already there.

"Buffy, I was so worried! What happened? Where did you go? Why didn't you say you were leaving?" Willow babbled.

"Willow, calm down!" Buffy sat down on the bed opposite her. "I had an Angel freak out moment."

"Oh no, did he do something?" Willow asked worriedly.

"Actually, I kind of started it." Buffy filled Willow in on what happed with Angel and Nina. "So where's Anya?"

"She's spending the night with Xander."

"And where's Oz?" Buffy asked coyly.

"At home." Willow replied.

"And why aren't you with him?"

"Oh, I'm not ready for that yet." Willow blushed.

"Willow, just because you spent the night doesn't mean you have to sleep with him. You can just be close."

"Uh, I'm still not ready for that."

"Willow, have you and Oz even kissed?" Buffy asked, afraid the answer would be no.

"Well, kinda." Willow was a bright shade of pink now.

"Kinda – what's kinda?" Buffy prodded.

"Well, it was a peck."

"So, no tongue?"

"Nope." Willow squeaked out.

"Girl, you are a trip!" Buffy laughed. "Between you and Anya!"


End file.
